President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. said he will be studying the proposal of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to declare a National State of Calamity after Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng” (international name: Nalgae) battered most parts of the country during the weekend.
In a situation briefing held last Saturday, NDRRMC Executive Director Raymundo B. Ferrer said they will be making the proposal since 15 out of the country’s 17 regions are susceptible to the floods and landslides caused by the storm.
“With this, in behalf of the chairperson, the NDRRMC respectfully recommends for the following: declare a National State of Calamity due to the effects, damage and projected impacts of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng for a period of one year, unless earlier lifted; and to accept offers of international assistance based on needs,” Ferrer said.
Marcos expressed reservations on the proposal since he noted some parts of the country were not affected by Paeng.
Based on his initial assesment, he said some only some areas like the Bicol Region and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) should be placed under state of calamity.
He said he will wait for NDRRMC to officially submit the proposal before he decides to act on it.
High fatalities
The NDRRMC reported the downpour caused by Paeng led to flash floods and landslides, which killed 45 people, and caused 13 others to go missing.
Most or 40 of the said fatalities were from Maguindanao.
Marcos expressed concern over the large number of deaths in the province. which could have been prevented with better preemptive evacuation.
“We could have done better in Maguindanao in terms of preparing because… the 40 deaths with 10 people missing is a little too high. We should have done better than that,” Marcos said.
The President ordered the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on how it could further improve the dissemination of flood warnings to local government units (LGU) through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Government aid
Likewise, he also instructed the concerned government agencies to provide relief aid to evacuees and restore power in storm-hit areas. Paeng affected 271,359 persons from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and regions 5, 6, 7,9, 11, 12 and CARAGA.
Of which, 31,140 were displaced and are staying in evacuation centers.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and LGUs were able to release an initial P482,872 worth of assistance to evacuees.
Social Welfare Secretary Erwin T. Tulfo said the government still has over P1.5 billion standby funds and stockpiles, which are ready for deployment in storm-hit areas.
Image credits: Philippine Coast Guard via AP