A total 172 people, 156 of whom from Eastern Visayas, have died from landslides and massive flooding caused by tropical storm Agaton, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Sunday.
The NDRRMC also reported eight injuries from the storm, which affected 16 cities and towns which have been placed under a state of calamity, while 110 remained missing.
According to the NDRRMC, 207,572 individuals were still staying in 909 evacuation centers across affected areas.
Overall, 583,994 families or 2,015,643 individuals were affected by Agaton, the report showed.
The NDRRMC also reported that Agaton left damage to agriculture and infrastructure amounting to over P249.8 million and P6.9 million, respectively.
Meanwhile, a congressional leader has reiterated his appeal for a “whole-of-nation approach” to mitigate the impact of climate change-driven natural disasters, following the devastation left by Agaton.
“The devastation will impact heavily on communities and fellow Filipinos still struggling to recover from the pandemic. It is imperative that the concerned national government agencies act with haste, and address the most pressing needs of the residents namely, food, water, and shelter,” Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas, the House Committee on Social Services chairperson, said in a statement.
But Vargas said the impact of Agaton and super-typhoon Odette should be seen as a wakeup call.
“The destruction left behind by these two natural calamities underscores the havoc that comes as a result of unmitigated climate change,” Vargas, brother of Michael Vargas who will run for congressman in the 5th district of Quezon City.
“Once again, I call for a national response to climate change that involves not only the national government and the local governments, but also the private sector and the public. Each of us shares not only in the burden, but the responsibility to face this challenge head on,” he added.
In a resolution, Vargas said while agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development have swiftly provided aid to affected families, “much more needs to be done to assuage the sorrow of our fellow Filipinos and to meaningfully provide aid during these situations of personal and community crisis.”
He said “community, social, and economic recovery efforts” should be started at the earliest time possible, especially to help farmers and fisherfolk whose livelihoods have been entirely wiped out by Agaton.
Vargas said his proposed “whole-of-nation and whole-of-society” approach in meeting the challenges of climate change “must consider accelerating financing for disaster risk reduction, ensuring that public investments are risk-informed and addressing resilience needs of infrastructures in our communities.”
“The same efforts should be done to ensure that the next natural disasters do not result in untold suffering and their adverse impacts are mitigated through proactive and evidence-based policies,” he added.
