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Thursday, March 28, 2024

‘Rolly’ damages now over P17.8 billion

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The cost of the damage to infrastructure and agriculture caused by Super Typhoon “Rolly” has reached more than P17. 8 billion, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Tuesday.

In its latest report signed and released by NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Jalad, the council placed the damage to infrastructure at P12,867,014,693 in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Meanwhile, the damage to agriculture was estimated at P4,999,215,736 in the Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, CAR and the National Capital Region.

“Rolly” has also affected 65,897 hectares of agricultural land.

The Houses damaged by the super typhoon is now at 142,013, with 26,982 classified as “heavily damaged” and 115,031 as “partially damaged” in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and CAR.

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Meanwhile, the number of dead remains at 25 with 399 injured and six missing in the Ilocos, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol

The Department of Agriculture said the extent of the damage and losses to agriculture caused by Typhoons Quinta and Rolly had reached P7.66 billion as of Monday afternoon.

Around 162,693 hectares of farmlands were damaged, affecting 89,259 farmers and fishermen in the Cordillera Administrative Region and Regions 1, 2 and 3, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, 5, 6, and 8.

The volume of production loss was recorded at 279,071 metric tons. The affected commodities included rice, corn, high-value crops, fisheries, livestock, irrigation, and farm facilities.

The department assured affected farmers and fishermen of assistance.

Meanwhile, former Agriculture Undersecretary and convenor of Tugon Kabuhayan Asis Perez, in a virtual presser on Monday, proposed to take into consideration including the “consequential” damage caused by calamities to the lives of farmers and fishers.

“When there’s typhoon, it’s not just the damage to the crops that matters, it’s also the damage in the life of the farmers,” he said.

More than the actual damage caused by the two typhoons, Perez said, the government “must also look at the consequential damage. Some of the crops may not bear fruit until after a year, others even more.”

He also proposed to develop a more comprehensive insurance coverage for farmers and build more post-harvest facilities such as drying machinery and storage houses.

Rene Cerilla of Pambansang Kilusan ng Samahan ng mga Magsasaka agreed, saying right now it is hard for farmers to apply for insurance coverage for their crops.

Meanwhile, electricity in some parts of the Bicol Region has been restored as the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines had fixed the power lines damaged by Super Typhoon “Rolly.”

The NGCP deployed 53 line gangs or over 420 personnel in Bicol to expedite the restoration of transmission lines affected by the recent typhoon.

“NGCP successfully energized parts of the Bicol Region ahead of schedule, bringing back power to the entire provinces of Camarines Sur and Sorsogon, and parts of Albay,” it said Tuesday.

Manila Electric Co. also sent 206 engineers, linemen and support personnel in the “Rolly”-stricken provinces of Albay, Catanduanes and Camarines Sur.

Sixty-five Meralco linemen helped the NGCP to expedite power restoration in Bicol.

Meralco’s aid to bring back power in the typhoon-hit Bicol is part of the Power Restoration Rapid Deployment Task Force Kapatid that enables electric companies and cooperatives from different parts of the country to help in re-energizing efforts in the areas hit by calamities.

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