The death toll from Typhoon Tisoy (international name Kammuri) rose to 17 after destroying houses and displacing hundreds of thousands on its path across the Philippines.
As it neared its exit, tropical cyclone wind signals have been lifted as of Wednesday for 10 out of about a hundred areas placed on alert this week, according to the nation’s weather bureau.
Five died in Bicol region on the southern tip of main Luzon island, 11 others in other parts of Luzon and one in Visayas, according to reports from police and local disaster management agencies.
At least P800 million pesos of damage to agriculture was recorded in Bicol and Southwestern Tagalog regions alone, local disaster management officials reported.
Parts of 12 roads and three bridges remain closed, said the national disaster management council’s latest bulletin. About half a million people were evacuated.
Tisoy is the 20th storm to hit the Philippines in 2019 where about 20 cyclones pass through each year.
Climate ‘emergency’
The University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI), meanwhile, expressed its support for House Resolution 535 filed by Albay Second District Rep. Joey S. Salceda on November 18, 2019, declaring a “disaster and climate emergency” in the Philippines.
The UPRI, along with UP Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards Center Executive Director Mahar Lagmay, said “the declaration of climate emergency is for all to take seriously. This resolution is a reiteration of what we already know, that we need to do climate action and we need to do it now, no ‘but’s’ and no ‘if’s.’”
The resolution states that “the Philippines has been suffering from a disaster and climate emergency which now compels a whole-of-government and whole-of-society policy response to anticipate, halt, reduce, reverse, address and adapt to its impacts, consequences and causes.”
The UPRI also supports the resolution to name 2020 as the year of “disaster and climate emergency awareness” to increase consciousness among Filipinos.
“Every year, the Philippines is constantly identified as among the top countries most impacted by the climate crisis,” said Yeb Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, “so it’s high time we have this formal acknowledgment by the government that we are indeed in an emergency situation.”
Saño emphasized that a climate emergency declaration should push government to prioritize climate urgency in the national and local levels, and hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in driving climate-change impacts on Filipinos.
Salceda, for his part, stressed the role of science, and the development and use of climate technologies to address the climate emergency.
“The best available science should inform and guide climate-change adaptation efforts, including the integration, adaptation, and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information, and assessment to the people,” Salceda, also chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said.
Legazpi Airport reopens
Legazpi Airport, the Bicol regions air hub, has resumed operation on Wednesday after sustaining damage from Typhoon Tisoy.
Despite the damage, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific flights were able to land without any hitch, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).
Caap Area Center 5 Manager Cynthia Tumanut, reported that they were able to utilize undamaged areas of the passenger terminal building as temporary arrival and predeparture areas.
“The airport also mobilized its support personnel in assisting passengers in getting through the designated temporary check-in and predeparture areas,” she said in her report to the Caap.
The Caap has been conducting a check since Tuesday of all 14 commercially active airports, especially the Bicol and Visayan airports, making sure the damages caused by Tisoy on airport infrastructures, including the navigation and communication facilities are repaired soonest to allow all commercial and private flights to resume.
DA’s initial damage report
The Department of Agriculture, for its part, said the initial damages and losses brought by Typhoon Tisoy in Calabarzon and Bicol Region have reached P531.61 million.
As of 12 noon of Wednesday, December 4, 2019, the DA said the damages and losses covered a total of 14,637 hectares of agricultural areas in Calabarzon and Bicol region, with an estimated production loss of 18,455 metric tons (MT) affecting some 3,808 farmers.
The agency said the affected crops were rice, corn and high-value crops.
For rice alone, the DA said some P318.94 million were recorded initial damaged with 11,539 MT volume production losses in 12,435 hectares in Calabarzon and Bicol.
It added the total damage for high-value crops reached P145.55 million with production volume of 5,240 MT in 1,025 hectares in Calabarzon and Bicol.
For corn, the DA said P67.12 million losses were recorded with volume production at 1,676 MT in 1,176 hectares in Quezon province.
The agency added its regional offices in Regions 4A and 5 have available 3,230 bags of rice seed reserves.
It said the DA regional office in Region 5 has available 3,163 bags of rice seeds, 2,632 bags of corn seeds, and 322 kilograms of vegetable seeds to be distributed to the affected farmers who are ready to replant.
Earlier, the DA added the government has allotted P250 million quick-response fund (QRF) that can be utilized for rehabilitation of areas to be affected by Typhoon Tisoy.
In Bicol, Salceda said the Pag-Ibig Fund has activated its recovery package for its members affected following the typhoon’s onslaught in Albay.
In an interview, Salceda said the Pag-ibig Fund offers an express home rehabilitation and reconstruction loan to all its members, including existing home loan borrowers.
“The house loan offer is P150,000 for each member,” he said.
According to Salceda, existing borrowers can also apply for a six-month moratorium at zero- percent interest rate.
“To further ease the application, processing fees and expenses will be free of charge,” he added.
Salceda also asked Social Security System and Government Service Insurance System for six months loan installment moratorium interest-free for its members in Albay.
“A moratorium frees up scarce financial resources to help families recover. The savings also keep the money inside Albay economy during this period when our capital assets, esp critical household resources, were destroyed. Cash is the best form of relief as it gives the choice to the victims,” he said. Bloomberg News, Recto Mercene, Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz
Image credits: AP