Manila: The southwest monsoon, intensified by tropical cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong, has resulted in six fatalities, three missing persons, and a declaration of a state of calamity in four municipalities in Western Visayas, officials reported Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Maria Christina Mayor, spokesperson for the Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas (OCD VI), stated that the six reported deaths are still being validated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The DILG is responsible for managing casualties and missing persons in the region.
"We have six unvalidated deaths, meaning we are still waiting for the result from the DILG to declare whether or not the deaths are related to the typhoons because they lead the management of the dead and missing cluster," Mayor explained in an interview.
The reported fatalities include two individuals from Guimaras, one each from Aklan and Iloilo province, and two from Iloilo City. The three individuals who are missing hail from Iloilo and Antique.
As the weather has improved, the number of evacuees has decreased significantly, with only 122 families remaining in 14 evacuation centers in Iloilo, primarily due to damage to their homes.
Mayor further noted that the severe weather conditions have resulted in damage to 898 houses, with 103 of them being completely destroyed, predominantly due to strong waves or landslides. "Most of the declared damaged houses were in Ajuy, in coastal areas," she added.
Overall, the adverse weather has impacted 105,590 families, accounting for 392,136 individuals.
Four municipalities, one in Iloilo and three in Antique, have declared a state of calamity. This declaration permits local governments to access emergency funds and provide calamity loans to affected employees. Antique, the most severely affected province, was placed under a state of calamity last week.
Mayor highlighted the extensive damage, stating, "With the severity of the damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and the number of affected families, we expect that there will be more declarations."
The financial impact on agriculture is estimated at over PHP27.86 million, while infrastructure losses have reached PHP175.53 million.
In response, 3,000 shelter kits or tents have been dispatched from the International Office for Migration, in collaboration with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development. These kits have arrived in Negros Occidental and Iloilo, with each province receiving 1,500 units.
To date, more than PHP44.69 million in aid has been distributed, reaching nearly 60 percent of the affected families in Western Visayas.
