TUBLAY, Benguet — The Benguet provincial board on Monday, 24 August, placed the entire province under a state of calamity after damage from severe weather surpassed P1 billion.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved the declaration during its regular session in Barangay Basil, Tublay, following a recommendation from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Vice Governor Marie Rose Fongwan-Kepes said the declaration followed deliberations and a validated assessment of the extent and severity of the damage across the province.

The declaration allows the provincial government to immediately tap P38 million from its Quick Response Fund for relief operations and the urgent rehabilitation of damaged public infrastructure.

Based on a partial assessment by the Benguet Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, damage has reached more than P1.068 billion.

Severe weather triggered widespread landslides and soil collapse and caused significant agricultural losses, affecting farmers and critical transport routes across the highland province.