This handout photo taken on January 11, 2023 and received from Jipapad Mayor Benjamin Ver shows residents wading through a flooded road in Jipapad town, Eastern Samar province. . (AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Damage to the agriculture sector due to continuous rains triggered by low pressure areas (LPAs) and other weather systems down South in the first week 0f the new year is nearing the P900-million mark, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Thursday.
Based on the NDRRMC’s latest data, damage to agriculture, so far, was pegged at P885,165,517.43 from P833 million recorded on Wednesday.
Damage to infrastructure, meantime, breached the P500 million mark at P P539,239,624.68 — which is over P100 million more than the cost recorded on Wednesday at P430,487,624.68
According to NDRRMC, the said weather systems mostly affected Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) , Bicol region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, Soccsksargen region and BARMM.
The death toll stands at 39, while 12 persons were injured and five others still missing.
A total of 1,941,146 individuals or 475,983 families were affected by the weather disturbances.
A total of 1,780 houses were damaged, while impassable roads and bridges are at 27 and 15, respectively.
Currently, another LPA is forecast to trigger more rain in several parts of Visayas and Mindanao, while the northeast monsoon, or “amihan,” continues to affect parts of Luzon, particularly, its eastern portion.