Agri damage from Habagat, cyclones reaches ₱689M — DA

Agricultural damage from the southwest monsoon, or Habagat, and recent cyclones has reached ₱689 million, with rice farms accounting for most of the losses, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Of the total agricultural damage, ₱451 million involved rice crops, with about 18,000 hectares of rice fields affected, according to JP Soriano's report on "24 Oras Weekend."

DA Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa, the agency's spokesperson, said around 15,500 hectares of the affected rice fields were partially damaged and still had a chance of recovery.

Nearly 3,000 hectares, however, were totally damaged, he said.

Pampanga recorded the biggest agricultural losses at ₱131 million, followed by Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan.

Damage to livestock and poultry was estimated at ₱2 million, according to the DA.

The agricultural losses came as communities across parts of Luzon continued to deal with flooding caused by the Habagat and recent storms.

In Dagupan City, several schools remained affected by floodwaters, including Dagupan City National High School, where Grade 11 student John Mark and his family sought shelter after their home was flooded.

Some classrooms at the school were also submerged.

West Central Elementary School 1 in Dagupan was likewise flooded.

The Department of Education Regional Office 1 said more than 300 schools in the Ilocos Region were affected, while more than 1,000 classrooms were damaged.

Students in Pangasinan have been out of school for at least 10 days since last week.

DepEd Region 1 said make-up classes would not be necessary, noting that schools had been conducting online and modular learning during class suspensions.

"We can still manage the 10 days that were lost. Although there were class suspensions, they were given activities through online and modular classes," said Cesar Bucsit, administrative officer of the DepEd Region 1 Public Affairs Unit.

In Calasiao, more than 1,000 families, or over 4,000 individuals, remained in evacuation centers, according to the Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Meanwhile, dark and foul-smelling floodwaters continued to affect residents and motorists in San Simon, Pampanga.

Residents blamed clogged drainage canals for the stagnant water, which made passage difficult along the San Luis-San Simon Road.

The flooding also affected the livelihood of some residents, including tricycle drivers.

"It's really slow. It's down by about 80%. Business is really weak," one tricycle driver said. — MCG, GMA News