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This photo, taken on November 13, 2020, shows Baybayog-Pared-Baculod-Maraburab, the Alcalá National Highway made “impassable” due to massive flooding. (Photo from the Facebook account of Alcala, the mayor of Cagayán Tin Antonio ‘)
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ main disaster agency has recommended a declaration of a state of calamity for all of Luzon after three consecutive typhoons wreaked havoc in the country.
This was agreed by members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) at an emergency meeting on Monday, which aimed to discuss the impact of recent typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses, Executive Director of NDRRMC Usec. Ricardo Jalad said in a statement.
“During the meeting, the recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte to place all of Luzon in a state of calamity was approved to attend to the impacts of the last typhoons that hit the country,” he said.
According to the NDRRMC guidelines, a president’s declaration of a state of calamity “may justify the request and acceptance of international humanitarian assistance on the recommendation of the NDRRMC.”
Local government units will also have easier access to funds for relief and rehabilitation efforts with this declaration.
Several provinces of Luzon have been in a state of calamity due to the scale of the devastation caused by the three successive storms in recent weeks. Dozens have died and thousands have been displaced after typhoons hit the Philippines.
Damage to infrastructure and agriculture has also been recorded in the amount of billions of pesos.
The discharge of water from the Magat dam and the rains from Typhoon Ulysses caused widespread flooding in the Cagayan and Isabela provinces. Jalad said a technical working group would assess the current management of the dam.
Providing assistance to fishermen and farmers, road cleaning, shelter requirements and other recovery interventions were also discussed during the meeting, he said.
Over the weekend, Duterte ordered the creation of a task force to expedite disaster response efforts. It was not clear whether its functions would overlap with those of the NDRRMC.
EDV
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