Aklan slowly recovering from effects of typhoon ‘Frank’

MANILA, Philippines - Aklan province is now slowly trying to rebuild itself after being devastated by typhoon "Frank," a television report quoted Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez on Thursday. GMA's Flash Report said cleaning operations are being conducted in various regions Aklan, particularly in its capital Kalibo while relief operations are still ongoing. Power in the province is also expected to be restored within the month. In the report, Marquez clarified that there were 48 fatalities in the province, and not 51 as earlier reported. The error was due to double-listing, while some who were once believed to have died due to the typhoon were discovered to be alive, he said. President Gloria Macapagal went to Aklan on Wednesday to distribute relief goods to affected families as part of her visits to provinces hurt by typhoon “Frank." Region 6 or Western Visayas, particularly Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo, was the hardest-hit by the typhoon that struck the country in the third week of June. On Tuesday, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said most of the P5.21 billion reported agricultural damages and the P2.3 billion worth of damaged roads and bridges came from Aklan and Iloilo. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV