Davao del Norte has declared a state of calamity due to the massive floods that have inundated towns for several days now.
“This approval also signifies the support of our provincial council to our entire province of Davao del Norte in providing services needed by our constituents affected by the current calamity,” Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Flopone Royle Catalan said.
The declaration would allow the local government to access calamity funds to cover expenses for food packs of affected families in the province, among others.
As this developed, the death toll in rainfall-induced landslides in Davao de Oro towns Monkayo and Maragusan also rose to 12 yesterday, local officials said.
The body of the 11th fatality in the landslide in Monkayo, identified as Rommel Gumatin, was found and retrieved Friday afternoon.
In Maragusan town, a 23-year-old miner was killed in a separate landslide.
In the last situation report, a total of 277,055 people, or at least 58,234 families, were affected by the bad weather.
Among them, 4,217 are currently accommodated in evacuation centers, while the remaining 5,767 families have sought shelter outside these designated centers.
At least P39 million worth of damage to agriculture and P900,000 worth of damage to infrastructure were reported by the Office of Civil Defense.