PNoy to declare national state of calamity in Sendong aftermath

Published December 20, 2011 12:00pm

(Updated 2:16 p.m.) President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday said he will declare a state of national calamity to assist the provinces affected by tropical storm Sendong.

“We will be declaring a state of national calamity…we will be assisting not only Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City but also Negros Oriental and Iloilo,” Aquino said during a briefing in Cagayan de Oro aired over government station Radyo ng Bayan.

Aside from Cagayan de Oro, Aquino was also scheduled to visit Iligan City and Dumaguete City.

In an interview with GMA News TV's Balitanghali, Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communication Development and Strategic Planning Office, said the declaration of national calamity would allow the national government to tap more funds to finance its relief and rehabilitation efforts.

“Pag nag-declare ng state of national calamity, may mga pondo na maita-tap na maaring gamitin para sa relief and rehabilitation. Kung hindi magdeclare ng national calamity kasi limitado lang yung pondo na maita-tap natin,” he said. In separate text messages to GMA News Online, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda and deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said a proclamation or executive order "is required before it (declaration of state of national calamity) takes effect." Lacierda said Aquino has yet to sign the proclamation for the purpose. Fact finding team

In Cagayan de Oro, Aquino also said he is going to create a fact finding team “where we can still augment the systems that are in place so that there are no casualties of this magnitude ever again.”

“We would like to assure you that we are going to fine-tune all of the systems in place so that now we can prevent this tragedy from happening,” Aquino said.

The President ordered the concerned agencies to find the missing persons.

“Let us all exhaust all means to try and find all of these missing individuals,” he said. Casualties

As of Tuesday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council listed at least 957 people had been confirmed dead, with at least 49 still missing.

Cagayan de Oro recorded the highest number of deaths so far, with 579, which are already more than Ondoy's 464 fatalities. Many of those killed lived on Isla de Oro, an islet close to the banks of the heavily silted Cagayan de Oro River.

A total of 1,582 have been reported injured while 432 have been rescued, the report added.

Also, the NDRRMC said Sendong had affected 63,079 families or 338,415 people in 260 villages in 30 towns and eight cities in 13 provinces.

Of these, 9,743 families or 42,733 people are being served in 62 evacuation centers.

Damage to property was estimated at P1,936,415, including P1,551,400 in agriculture in Caraga, and P385,015 in Bicol.

At least six road sections in Cordillera and Caraga; and seven bridges in Central Visayas and Regions 10 and 11 were damaged.

Aquino has ordered the release of P90 million for bridge repair, P54 million for water system rehabilitation, P150 million for automatic river water level sensors in the 18 major river basis. — RSJ/KBK, GMA News

Tags: sendong, stormsendong, noynoyaquino