Daily TribuneLoyzaga also instructed them to collaborate with the Philippine Space Agency to access free imagery from Copernicus — a European program for monitoring the Earth -- of Paeng-hit areas, particularly in Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
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Humanitarian aid amounting to P165,327,115.67 have been released to more than 1.1 million affected families of Severe Tropical Storm 'Paeng' nationwide, while various personalities and non-government organizations continue to pour in donations to ease the plight of victims.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said a total of 1,176,074 families or 4,124,267 individuals residing in 9,107 villages nationwide have been affected by 'Paeng's' wrath.
NDRRMC said the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Office of the Civil Defense already prepositioned a P832,761,824.06 worth of family food packs and non-food items.
The DSWD and OCD still have a standby fund of P585,150,616.11.
The death toll due to the 'Paeng' onslaught has climbed to 154 with 128 injured and 35 missing individuals, however, only 101 deaths, 78 injured, and 27 missings were confirmed. The rest of the figures are still under validation.
'Paeng' left about P2,709,303,157. 54 in damaged agriculture.
NDRRMC also recorded P2,913,010,844.5 estimated cost of infrastructures destroyed in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region Soccsksargen, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
The National Irrigation Administration, meanwhile, reported a total of P36,940,000 cost of damages in the Cagayan Valley and Bicol Region.
The damaged houses increased to 25,109, 22,487 of them were partially destroyed while 2,622 are no longer livable.
In Laguna, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported at least 5,000 families or 20,000 individuals are still staying in evacuation centers.
Laguna PDRRMO officer-in-charge Aldwin Cejo said the province's officials have already discussed the declaration of State of Calamity in the area.
Disaster risk assessment
Meanwhile, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga emphasized the need to strengthen the assessment of natural hazards and their risks and impacts following the massive devastation brought by "Paeng".
Loyzaga cited the need for DENR's help to analyze gathered data that are crucial in the conduct of an effective disaster risk and impact assessment and to discuss ways to help the affected communities recover from the storm.
In a situation report on October 31st, the NDRRMC said "Paeng" had flooded a total of 554 areas across 17 regions and affected more than 1.9 million Filipinos.
Loyzaga expressed the DENR's commitment to help and collaborate with the OCD in devising an enhanced risk and impact assessment of climate and natural hazards.
She has assigned DENR Undersecretaries Augusto dela Peña and Joselin Marcus Fragada as the focal persons to help the OCD and other concerned government agencies with what needs to be done in the coming days. She likewise directed the undersecretaries to instruct the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to collect site reports of landslides and flooding in certain areas.
Loyzaga also instructed them to collaborate with the Philippine Space Agency to access free imagery from Copernicus — a European program for monitoring the Earth — of "Paeng"-hit areas, particularly in Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
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