Building the Regional City

P10B lost to ‘Frank’ nationwide – NDCC

By admin ⋅ July 2, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

The total damage of Typhoon “Frank” in the country reached P10 billion, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo here. The monster howler’s damage to agriculture alone reached P5.21 billion.

Prior to the NDCC meeting, Arroyo distributed relief packs to 600 individuals at the new Iloilo airport. They came from the badly-hit towns of Pavia, Leganes, Sta. Barbara, Zarraga, Dumangas, Janiuay and Cabatuan, among others.

The relief packs consisted of four kilos of rice, 12 packs of noodles and six canned goods.
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. prepared the relief packs.

Arroyo said she had ordered the use of the presidential aircraft and yacht to hasten the delivery of relief goods to Panay Island, which was worst-hit.

She also announced that the Spanish government has sent its military aircraft to the Philippines. This is expected to arrive today in Iloilo carrying 10 tons of medical supplies, hygienic materials and a heavy-duty water purifier machine.

The typhoon’s damage to infrastructures nationwide reached P2.32 billion; education – P455 million; and other facilities such as hospitals – P2.3 billion, said Civil Defense chief Glenn Rabonza.

NDCC’s assistance to the typhoon victims nationwide reached P15.7 million; social welfare and development office, P18.98 million; health, P12.46 million; local government units, P9.56 million; and non-government and private organizations, P3.95 million, said Rabonza.

According to PCSO Department Manager William Medici, the agency is also preparing an additional assistance of P3 million to five district hospitals in Iloilo Province; P1 million for the La Paz Maternity Hospital and for the procurement of medicines; P2 million to Samar; P3 million to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines; P500,000 to Capiz Province; P750,000 to the Regional Development Coordinating Council through the Department of Health; and P150,000 for potable bottled water for residents of Iloilo City.

Almost four million people were affected by the typhoon, with about 740 evacuation centers put up in Regions 6 and 8, Rabonza said.

The number of typhoon casualties also rose to 540 with 41 persons still missing and 175 people injured, excluding the victims of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars that sank off the waters of Sibuyan Island.

Around 701,000 houses were affected, with 76,000 totally damaged.

The President said a non-government organization has turned over a P10-million check as donation, of which P8 million will be used in giving assistance to rice farmers and the P2 million will be used for rehabilitation and/or construction of schoolbuildings damaged by the typhoon.

Rabonza, for his part, said a total of 155 tons of relief goods had been moved by the C-130 of the Philippine Air Force and navy ships.

He said some 17,000 sacks of rice were also released to typhoon victims in Panay Island, bulk of which was in Iloilo Province.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also has distributed a total of P19 billion worth of relief goods and non-food items such as blanket, temporary shelter, and water purifier.

A total of P13 million worth of medicines were also released by the Department of Health (DOH), while the affected local government units (LGUs) have already released P10 million from their calamity funds to help victims of calamity.

Rabonza said the USS Reagan aircraft carrier has delivered a total of 196,000 tons of relief goods including 45,000 kilos of rice, assorted medicines and mineral water, while the USAID has donated $100,000 worth of relief goods, 70 percent of which has already been distributed to typhoon victims.

David Israel Sinay, Panay News
with reports from Philipping News Agency