14 Palawan towns under state of calamity due to Yolanda

At least 14 towns in Palawan were placed under a state of calamity on Saturday due to the damage caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda, which cut across the central Philippines last week.

The provincial council unanimously passed a resolution to declare the towns under a state of calamity, state-run Philippines News Agency reported late Saturday.

The 14 towns are:

• Agutaya
• Araceli
• Busuanga
• Cagayancillo
• Coron
• Culion
• Cuyo
• Dumaran
• El Nido
• Linapacan
• Magsaysay
• Roxas
• San Vicente
• Taytay

Provincial Board Member Leoncio Ola said that with the declaration, Palawan Gov. Jose Alvarez will now be able to access the province's calamity fund to assist the affected residents.

According to Ola, Yolanda affected some 20,308 families in the towns.

Meanwhile, the PNA also reported that foreign tourists and expatriates continued to show up at Palawan's Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council command center to bring relief goods.

One tourist was identified, Jessica Stuckstaette, who brought 10 boxes of easy-to-open canned meals. — DVM, GMA News