AT LEAST 32 persons have reportedly been killed as inclement weather conditions submerge Luzon and Visayas regions under deep floodwater, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
In its latest situation report, the combined effects of the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) and tropical cyclones have also reportedly affected 2.3 million families across the country.
Deaths caused by landslides, drowning and electrocution were reported in Benguet which recorded the highway number of casualties at 15, Rizal with six fatalities, four in Batangas.
The Occidental Mindoro and Caloocan City (in Metro Manila) had two deaths. The provinces of La Union, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro and Negros Occidental had one apiece.
The OCD likewise recorded 19 injuries. Three people are still missing – one each in Quezon City, Manila, and Batangas.
As of this posting, the government reported some 25,800 families temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers.
The previous tropical cyclones’ cost of damage to infrastructure has reached P6.11 billion, with agricultural damage recorded at P2.32 billion. Almost 3,000 houses were damaged, with 349 of them being totally destroyed.
The OCD said that 117 local government units have declared a state of calamity. Around P1.65 billion in assistance has been released since.
Meanwhile, a portion of the Aquino Bridge in Tarlac City collapsed late Friday night amid continuous heavy rainfall.
According to local authorities, the end part of the bridge near the border of Barangays Mabini and Cutcut had given in before midnight on Friday. It has since been closed to all types of transportation.
Motorists are redirected to Agana Bridge as an alternate route to the city’s center.
The Aquino Bridge was constructed during the term of former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino and was named after her late husband, Ninoy Aquino.
It has experienced repair and expansion between 2014 and 2015 due to damage sustained from past tropical cyclones.
