‘300k, not nearly 1 million:’ NDRRMC revises number of Rolly evacuees

MANILA, Philippines — The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday updated its figures of Typhoon Rolly evacuees from nearly 1 million to more than 300,000.

In a televised press briefing, NDRRMC executive director and Office of Civil Defense Usec. Ricardo Jalad apologized for the incorrect figure of nearly 1 million evacuees, noting that 346,993 individuals is the official figure for Rolly evacuees.

“Iyong figures reported on preemptive evacuation awhile ago ay 96,000 families or 346,993 individuals — iyon ang correct and official figures. Ako ay humihingi ng paumanhin doon sa discrepancy ng report kagabi hindi naman sinadya iyon siguro namistook ko yung figures reported,” Jalad said when sought for his reaction about the revised figures of evacuees.

(Figures reported a while ago were the official figures. I would like to apologize for the discrepancy of the report, it was not my intention, because I might have mistook the figures reported last night.)

On Friday night, Jalad said nearly one million people in the Bicol Region were transported to safe areas prior to the landfall of Rolly.

According to Jalad’s presentation displayed during this morning’s briefing, there are 96,543 families or 346,993 individuals that were evacuated in areas affected by the typhoon.

Of the number, 2,420 families were evacuated in Metro Manila; 88 families in Cordillera Administrative Region; 1,958 families in Central Luzon; 3,266 families in Calabarzon; 87,908 families in Bicol Region and 903 families in Eastern Visayas.

JE