OCD says sorry for ‘mix-up’ in Ulysses damage estimates

MANILA, Philippines—The Office of Civil Defense on Thursday (Nov. 26) issued an apology for what it said was a mix-up in figures on agricultural damage wrought by Typhoon Ulysses.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported agricultural losses were already worth P540 billion in its Thursday morning bulletin. It amended it to P4.7 billion later in the day.

“We apologize po for the mix-up,” said Mark Timbal, OCD spokesperson.

He said figures received by the OCD operations center had been erroneously marked as billions “when it was only millions.”

“This has been certified in the latest sitrep,” Timbal said, referring to situation report.

Earlier in the day, NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Jalad said damage to infrastructure by Typhoon Ulysses has soared to P10.79 billion.

More than 4 million people, or almost one million families, in many parts of Luzon had been displaced or suffered losses during the typhoon.

The government had released at least P200 million in aid.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of calamity in the entire Luzon following a string of typhoons, including Ulysses, that battered the Philippines.

TSB