The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Tuesday there is a possibility Typhoon Pedring’s damage could exceed that of Typhoon Ondoy two years ago.
Benito Ramos, NDRRMC executive director, said that based on their initial assessment, Pedring has already damaged or destroyed P8.8 billion in infrastructure and agriculture. The amount does not yet include farms, livestock and government projects located in areas that are still under deep floods.
“We have yet to receive reports of damage in Central Luzon, including Pampanga and Bulacan,” Ramos said.
Based on the records of the NDRRMC, Ondoy, which was recorded as the worst flood to hit Metro Manila in years and severely affected the cities of Marikina, Pasig and Cainta, caused a total damage worth P10.9 billion.
Ramos said Pedring killed 56 people; Typhoon Quiel, which battered Cagayan Valley and Northern Luzon, killed nine.
Floodwaters are receding in towns and cities in Bulacan and Pampanga, Ramos said, but it would probably take some time before the two provinces are completely rid of the floods.
Meanwhile, President Aquino is mulling over a proposal to declare a state of calamity in areas badly hit by the recent typhoons. Malacañang said the government has enough funds for relief and rehabilitation requirements, but the President would have to be convinced of the necessity of declaring the state of emergency in those areas. Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin submitted his recommendation to the President on Tuesday afternoon.
Lacierda said the President would consult with his economic managers to determine whether such a declaration should be made but noted that “even without the declaration of [a state of] calamity, we are pursuing our efforts to provide assistance and relief to affected communities.”
“The President would have to ask, ‘Is there need to declare one? Are the resources of the government right now not sufficient?’ Those are the things that are going to be addressed. But in what we have seen, the government resources are sufficient to address the situation. It’s subject to discussion,” he said.
Under the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act of 2010, local governments placed under a state of calamity can seek the enactment of a supplemental budget for supplies, while the government can seek loans at concessional rates from the World Bank.
At present, however, the government has “more than sufficient calamity funds” and resources to attend to the needs of typhoon victims, Lacierda said.
“We have been using all resources both from the government and also from volunteer groups and they have been coming out and assisting all the affected areas. So I don’t think we have a problem with pulling out the resources. We have done so and there’s sufficient budget to cover for all the expenses toward disaster relief,” he said.
Lacierda did not specify the areas that may be covered by the proposed state of calamity declaration, but the affected areas include Central Luzon and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
He also said the President has named Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson “the water czar for the moment” so that he can ensure the availability of a potable water supply for the entire country and manage the release of water in dams.
“The President deemed it necessary to appoint a water czar to look into all the concerns on water,” he said.
(With Mia M. Gonzalez)
