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Friday, March 29, 2024

Paeng deaths bloat to 150 (and counting)

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The death toll from Severe Tropical Storm Paeng, which triggered flooding and landslides across the country, has reached 150, disaster officials said Thursday, as more rain was forecast in some of the hardest-hit areas.

STEADY STREAM OF AID. House of Representatives employees and police officers load a truck with 200 five-kilo bags of rice, 40 bundles of bottled water, and 100 sacks of relief goods for storm victims in various areas of Quezon, which 3rd District Rep. Reynante Arrogancia will distribute. The House is on its fifth day of relief operations initiated by Speaker Martin G. Romualdez. Ver Noveno

Of the 150 deaths the national disaster agency recorded, 63 were in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), where flash floods and landslides destroyed villages.

At least 128 people were injured and 36 are still missing across the country, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

Authorities said there is no hope of finding more survivors.

In its latest update, the NDRRMC reported that 1,131,409 families, consisting of 3,963,555 persons, were affected by Paeng across the country.

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Of the total, 43,996 families or 173,957 individuals are being aided in 2,094 evacuation centers with the remainder being helped by relatives and friends.

A total of 12,968 houses were damaged while 2,194 were destroyed.

Infrastructure damage from the tropical cyclone has been estimated at P2.8 billion.

More than 355,400 people fled their homes as Paeng pounded swathes of the archipelago late last week and over the weekend.

Paeng has also affected more than 74,900 farmers and fishers, an official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday.

The total damage to the agriculture sector was pegged at P2.74 billion, with at least 101,831 metric tons of production loss.

As for the poultry and livestock industry’s estimated total value affected was P9.49 million.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Thursday that government agencies involved in disaster response may use the P6.8-billion calamity fund that is still available for this year.

The DBM explained that the remaining PHP6.8 billion is part of this year’s total P20 billion budget allocated for disaster risk reduction and management.

The statement came a day after President Mr. Marcos signed Proclamation 84 placing the regions of Calabarzon, Bicol, and Western Visayas, as well as the BARMM under a state of calamity for six months in the aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng.

This, he said, would enable the government and the private sector to hasten the rescue, recovery, relief, and rehabilitation efforts.

Mindanao is rarely hit by the 20 or so typhoons that strike the Philippines each year, but storms that do reach the region tend to be deadlier than in Luzon and the central parts of the country.

With more rain forecast Thursday, disaster agencies in the BARMM were preparing for the possibility of further destruction in the poor and mountainous region.

“The soil is still wet in areas where flash floods and landslides occurred so further erosion could be instantly triggered,” said Naguib Sinarimbo, regional civil defense chief.

“Waterways and rivers that were in the path of the flash floods are blocked by debris and boulders so they could easily overflow.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has blamed deforestation and climate change for the devastating landslides in the Bangsamoro region.

He has urged local authorities to plant trees on denuded mountains.

“That’s one thing that we need to do,” Mr. Marcos told a briefing this week.

“We have been hearing this over and over again, but we still continue cutting trees. That’s what happens, landslides like that happen.”

Mr. Marcos has declared a state of calamity for six months in the worst-affected regions, freeing up funds for relief efforts.

Scientists have warned that deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change.

The weather bureau said several areas in the country will continue to experience scattered rain showers and thunderstorms caused by a low-pressure area (LPA) that was formerly Tropical Depression “Queenie.”

The LPA was last tracked 420 kilometers east of General Santos City, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its latest weather update.

Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Bohol, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao provinces may experience flash floods or landslides due to moderate, with at times heavy, rains. The rest of the country will have isolated rain showers caused by localized thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds and moderate to rough seas will prevail over Northern Luzon, where rough to very rough seas are forecast over its northern seaboard.

PAGASA advised fishing boats and other small sea vessels not to venture into the sea, and larger sea vessels were alerted against big waves.

With an average of 20 tropical cyclones a year entering the country, the government needs to pump more funds into aid, relief, and rehabilitation programs for the victims of calamities, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said.

Pimentel expressed support for raising the government’s proposed budget for calamity response for 2023.

Under the proposed National Expenditures Program for 2023, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) or calamity fund is allocated P31 billion.

“Given these 20 tropical cyclones a year and the fact that the Philippines is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is imperative to pump more funds into disaster and calamity response and recovery programs,” Pimentel said.

While the proposed budget for the calamity fund is already 55 percent higher than this year’s allocation of P20 billion, Pimentel said “it could easily be proven insufficient.”

He called for channeling funds from non-essential projects and programs to the calamity fund to enable a speedy and efficient response to disasters and calamities.

“Let us cut confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) and re-channel this much-needed allocation to strengthen our disaster response capabilities,” Pimentel said.

Under the 2023 proposed spending outlay, there’s a record-breaking P9.29 billion in CIFs, of which P4.5 billion will go to the Office of the President; P806 million to the Philippine National Police; and P500 million to the Office of the Vice President; and P500 million to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“These funds can be used instead to beef up the weather forecasting capabilities of PAGASA, build houses damaged by typhoons and earthquakes, and repair damaged roads and bridges,” Pimentel said.

“Could they use their intelligence funds to monitor typhoons and floods and give us the much-needed early warnings?” Pimentel said.

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