Agri damage in NegOcc placed at P20M

Bacolod City — The damage to the palay sector in Negros Occidental due to Typhoon “Pablo’s” wrath could reach millions.

Negros Occidental provincial agriculturist Igmedio Tabianan said the damages to the palay crop that were still in the flowering stages might reach P20 million. However, the actual damage costs would be determined after the harvest, Tabianan said.

Destruction

The Negros Occidental Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office also reported that 75 houses were destroyed while 603 others were damaged in the towns of Hinobaan, Pulupandan, Binalbagan, Murcia and Pontevedra and the cities of La Carlota and Sipalay.

The PSWDO disclosed that 1,434 families with 6,039 members were evacuated during the typhoon in Negros Occidental. Most the evacuated families have returned home.

Those who evacuated as a preemptive measure were living in flood- and landslide-prone areas, Merle Garcia of the PSWDO said.

On the other hand, Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. on Thursday released close to P2 million from the provincial calamity fund to assist residents of Negros Occidental whose houses were destroyed and damaged by Pablo.  /INQUIRER