Senate inquiry on Sendong damage sought

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the factors that contributed to the massive damage caused by tropical storm Sendong last month, which left over 1,200 people dead and some P1 billion worth in damage.   Senate Resolution 671 seeks to direct the Senate committee on environment and natural resources and other appropriate committees to conduct an inquiry — in aid of legislation — on the factors that contributed to the huge number of casualties and damage caused by the storm.   "There is a need to conduct an investigation into the factors that led to the humongous number of deaths and massive destruction brought about by typhoon Sendong, particularly in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and in the Province of Negros Oriental, in order for the entire nation to learn a lesson from this tragedy, and possibly mitigate, if not prevent entirely, the loss of life and destruction of property during calamities, both natural and man-made," said Pimentel, who is from Cagayan de Oro, in the resolution.   According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, a total 1,257 people were killed mostly due to the flash floods caused by Sendong, while 4,658 others were injured and 98 missing (identified) as of Wednesday morning.    Sendong has also affected 114,228 families (or 724,729 people) in 789 villages in 13 provinces. Of these, 80,647 families (or 429,045 people) are currently served inside and outside the evacuation centers.   On the other hand, the estimated damage to property stood at P1,384,592,708, including P1,097,441,000 in infrastructure and P287,151,708 in agriculture.   At least 13,369 houses were totally destroyed while 35,130 were damaged.   Data culled by GMA News Research indicated that Sendong is the deadliest cyclone to hit the Philippines in the last 12 years. — Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News