OCD: Damage to infra at P6.16B, agriculture at P2.32B due to Habagat

Infrastructure damage from the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat has reached P6.16 billion, while agricultural losses stood at P2.32 billion, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Monday.

“Total po ang nawala o nasira in terms of figures ay P6.16 billion in infrastructure. Sa damage to agriculture naman po ay P2.32 billion,” OCD Disaster Preparedness Service director Vicente Gregorio Tomas said in an interview on GMA News’ Unang Balita.

(Total damage to infrastructure is P6.16 billion while to agriculture, P2.32 billion.)

Tomas added that 724 areas were flooded in Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon.

Central Luzon accounted for the largest number of flooded areas, with 561 affected areas reported in Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales.

From other regions, 122 areas remained flooded in Pangasinan, 24 in Laguna, and 11 in Muntinlupa and Valenzuela.

Tomas said a total of 110 road sections and 14 bridges remained impassable due to landslides and damaged infrastructure.

Search and rescue operations were ongoing, including in Tarlac where a bridge collapsed. One person was rescued while four others remained missing from the incident.

A total of 677 personnel organized into 32 teams were deployed for search-and-rescue operations, while more than 20,000 personnel from various security sectors and local governments were on standby.

Tomas said relief resources remained sufficient, particularly food, non-food items, and other assistance being provided through the Department of Social Welfare and Development-led response cluster.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, OCD Region 3 information officer Raymond Garcia said Pampanga is the hardest-hit province in Central Luzon amid widespread flooding.

Garcia said Pampanga recorded 327 flooded barangays out of 608 across Central Luzon and around 95% of San Simon town was reportedly submerged in floods.

“Ang Pampanga po ang maituturing natin na parang hardest hit dito po sa Gitnang Luzon ngayon. Kasi po pagdating po sa flooded area sila po ang nakapagtala ng pinakamaraming flooded barangays dito po sa Central Luzon,” he said.

Meanwhile, Garcia said Bulacan ranked second in the region in terms of the number of flooded areas and affected residents, followed by Tarlac.

In Zambales, two communities in San Marcelino and Santa Cruz have been reported isolated after bridges connecting them were damaged by strong floodwaters. — RSJ, GMA News