The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) has reported that four out of the five members of the interagency National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRCM) has already signed the recommendation for the President to declare a state of calamity in areas devastated by typhoon Ompong.
During the AskNeda news conference on Friday, Neda Undersecretary Adoracion M. Navarro pointed out that four of the five members of the NDRRMC have already signed the recommendation to the President proposing to declare a state of calamity on Region I, II, III and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) which felt the wrath of Typhoon Ompong over the weekend.
“I am confident that we will be able to complete the signatures within today and submit the recommendation to the President,” Navarro said.
Members of the NDRRMC include: Vice Chairperson for Preparedness which is the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); the Vice Chairperson for Response in the form of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary; Vice Chairperson for Prevention and Mitigation who is the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST); and Vice Chairperson for Rehabilitation and Recovery which is the Socioeconomic Planning Secretary for the Neda.
The Neda pointed out that the recommendation is only awaiting for the last signature which will be coming from the Secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND) who chairs the NDRRMC to complete the list, and the recommendation will then be submitted immediately to President Duterte.
“All four vice chairs have signed, [Defense] Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana is the only one who hasn’t signed yet because he is out of the country. He has an officer in charge and he will be signing for the chair of the NDRRMC,” she added.
The Neda reported that as of September 21, 2018 at six in the morning, a total of 1.633 million people were affected by Typhoon Ompong with the DSWD continuously monitoring the data which is likely to increase. Totally damaged houses hit 3,861 and partially damaged ones at 45,015, the government has so far provided P65.3 million in terms of assistance as of September 20, 2018.
Navarro pointed out that during the assessment of the Neda on Thursday, out of five established conditions deemed necessary for the declaration of a state of calamity in the country, four conditions have been met, adding that if two conditions are met the declaration of a state of calamity can be pursued. This is based on the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Memorandum Order 4.
“The resolution will be sent to the office of the President within the week,” she said.
The first condition entails that at least 20 percent of the population are affected and in need of assistance; the second condition being at least 40 percent of the means of livelihood are destroyed; third being major roads and bridges are destroyed and not passable for at least a week; fourth is the widespread destruction of fishponds, crops, poultry, livestock and other agricultural products; and fifth being the destruction of life lines such as electricity, potable water systems, among others, which can’t be restored within a week.
“The last four conditions where present, we didn’t have enough enough data to determine whether the first condition or if the 20 percent of the population were affected becaiuse the numbers keep growing,” she added.
Earlier, the Department of Finance (DOF) had also met with the NDRRMC to discuss the recommendation to tap the World Bank loan facility made available to the country after experiencing Typhoon Ompong over the weekend.
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said that the DOF decided to tap the World Bank’s Second Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Loan With A Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (CAT-DDO2) facility in the aftermath of typhoon Ompong, upon the recommendation of National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon.
Under the CAT-DDO2, the government can draw up to the full loan amount of $500 million at any given time within three years of its implementation coverage. The loan is payable in 25 years, inclusive of a 10-year grace period with an interest rate based on the current United States (US) dollar 6-month London Inter-bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus an applicable variable spread.
The loan facility, net of the 0.5 percent front-end fee, has an available balance of $497.5 million as of end-August 2018, Dominguez said.
“According to the DOF it [the CAT-DDO2] can be activated within 48 hours. We are not really sure if there are other requirements,” she said.
The Neda further reported that international humanitarian assistance pledges whether in cash or in kind are being monitored by the Department of Foreign Affairs, with Japan and Australia already expressing interest to help.
In terms of damages brought about by Typhoon Ompong, initial estimates around P14 billion for crop damages was reported while infrastructure damages abnout 63 roads have been damaged and two bridges.