By MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
Typhoon “Quinta” (international name “Saudel”) has killed 22 persons, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported Friday.
NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said six more fatalities were recorded – one in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; Panganiban, Catanduanes (two); Carles, Iloilo (one); Sibalom, Antique (one); and Bindoy, Negros Oriental (one).
The latest victims – including two fishermen – died due to drowning, Jalad noted.
Mimaropa (Region 4-B or the Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan area) has the most number of recorded fatalities at eight.
Bicol region (Region 5) follows with seven; Central Visayas (Region 7) with three; and Calabarzon (Region 4-A or the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon area) and Western Visayas (Region 6) have two deaths each.
Damage to infrastructure has ballooned to P290 million, Jalad said.
No new report on agriculture damage was released by the NDRRMC.
The NDRRMC had earlier pegged agricultural damage at P705 million and this figure could bring damage to agriculture and infrastructure to nearly P1 billion.
Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, and Culion, Palawan have declared a state of calamity due to the adverse effects of Quinta.
This enables them to tap calamity funds that were allotted to local government units in times of disaster, Jalad said.
He said P1,556,044 worth of assistance has been given by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, local government units, and non-government organizations to more than 700,000 affected residents.
