Monsoon rains destroy crops, infrastructure worth P28M in 3 provinces

A man retrieves a basketball floating on a flooded street following heavy monsoon rains spawned by a tropical depression at suburban Quezon City, Saturday July 21, 2012. Total damage in affected provinces has reached P28 million, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Thursday, July 26,2012. AP PHOTO/BULLIT MARQUEZ

MANILA, Philippines—Total damage caused by the rains induced by the southwest monsoon last week has reached P28 million, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Thursday.

Most of the damage was in agriculture, totaling P23,119,859.50 while the estimated damage to infrastructure was estimated at P5.4 million, the NDRRMC said.

The estimated cost of damage in Camarines Sur province was P16,715,056, all from the loss of 2883.92 metric tons of unmilled rice.

In Pampanga province damage to rice fields and fisheries was estimated at P5,822,303.

Abra de Ilog town in Occidental Mindoro sustained damage in infrastructure and agriculture. A couple of concrete bridges, flood control projects, a spillway, a house, and an irrigation facility were among those damaged, the NDRRMC said.

Abra de Ilog took more of the bad weather’s brunt as it sustained an estimated P582,500 worth of damage to agriculture, it said.—Matikas Santos