MANILA – The government is now focusing on relief and rehabilitation efforts for regions severely hit by Super Typhoon Pepito (international Man-yi), Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said Wednesday.
“Well nasa relief efforts pa rin tayo and then nasa rehab (rehabilitation) unti-unti, especially dyan sa Catanduanes, ‘yung heavily hit. Pero marami rin tinamaan, ‘yung Aurora, Pangasinan, Isabela, marami rin dun eh (well, we are still conducting relief efforts and we are going on rehabilitation in Catanduanes which was hard hit, but a lot of provinces were also heavily affected, like Aurora, Pangasinan and Isabela, which also sustained a lot of damage),” he said in a media interview.
Nepomuceno added that the OCD has started “early recovery” measures in Catanduanes, with building materials like G.I. sheets, repair kits, and food items sent by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Similar efforts are also ongoing in Isabela and Pangasinan and other areas affected by the super typhoons, he added.
Nepomuceno said there is no shortage of relief items and other materials that are being delivered to the local government units.
He attributed it to the policy of prepositioning relief items; manpower, which largely consists of uniformed personnel; and transportation assets to affected communities.
OCD: Deaths from ‘Pepito’ rise to 9
As this developed, the OCD chief confirmed that nine individuals have died from the effects of Pepito.
“Those deaths were only due to Pepito. Many people died during Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, 162 based on our last report,” Nepomuceno said in a radio interview.
Seven of the fatalities are from Nueva Vizcaya and two are from Ifugao, the OCD chief said earlier.
This clarification comes amid confusion regarding the causes of the nine reported deaths, which some attributed to tropical cyclones “Nika”, “Ofel”, and “Pepito”.
Nepomuceno stressed that there could have been more casualties if not for the forced evacuations mandated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and carried out by the Philippine National Police and local government units in high-risk areas.
Nepomuceno noted that Catanduanes was particularly hard-hit by Pepito, with 4, 000 houses destroyed in the province, 500 of which were completely damaged.
“Super Typhoon Pepito was at its height when they were hit, that was Signal No. 5, meaning, the gustiness was between 305-350 kilometers per hour,” he stated.
In response to the disaster, the OCD is proactively sending over 3, 000 roofing sheets and repair kits to assist victims.
Furthermore, Nepomuceno reported that damage to agriculture from the recent series of six typhoons has now exceeded PHP7 billion, with Pepito alone causing an additional PHP266 million in agricultural damage.
“In terms of infrastructure, PHP 10.4 billion in damages have been reported from the recent cyclones, with an extra PHP 1.5 billion in damages attributed to Pepito,” he added, noting that roads and bridges have been particularly affected.
“Right now, we have 44 (impassable) bridges in Cagayan, Central Luzon, and the Bicol region,” Nepomuceno said.
Despite budget constraints arising from the series of typhoons, he reassured that everything was in order and that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has committed to addressing the need for additional funds. (PNA)