AUTHORITIES yesterday placed the initial cost of damage to agriculture at nearly P900 million as the death toll from typhoon “Quinta” rose to 10 persons.
Quinta which exited the Philippine area of responsibility yesterday after causing floods in several areas in southern Luzon and displacing about 150,000 persons.
Batangas City Mayor Beverley Rose Dimacuha declared the city under a state of calamity. She said the city “suffered considerable damage in agriculture and infrastructure” due to Quinta which left some 300 families homeless.
Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor said said he has asked the provincial council to declare the province under a state of calamity.
He said his province was severely battered by the typhoon, damaging some P600 million worth of rice, corn, vegetables, and high-value crops covering some 8,500 hectares of agricultural land.
Dolor also said the towns of Pinamalayan and Bansud were the most affected.
Pinamalayan Mayor Aristeo Baldos Jr said the town lost over P500 million worth of rice crops and banana plants covering some 3,000 hectares of land.
“It’s only now we’re harvesting so the damage is quite extensive,” he said.
He said Quinta “almost wiped out” their banana plantation which is one of sources of livelihood of Pinamalayan residents,” he said.
The estimated P900 million damage to agriculture topped the P105-million official cost of damage to agriculture and infrastructure during typhoon “Pepito” which struck last week.
Many recent typhoons passed the P1-billion mark in terms of damage to agriculture and infrastructure.
Dolor said the province experienced strong winds for about nine hours. He said that was one of the longest periods the province was battered by strong winds brought by a typhoon.
Dolor said Quinta displaced about 2,584 families or about 10,000 individuals. He appealed for food, saying the food stored by his many of his constituents got soaked in water as their houses were damaged.
He said the province lost electricity although it was being restored yesterday.
The Office of Civil Defense Bicol region said damage to agriculture in Camarines Sur and Sorsogon alone was placed at P286.2 million.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said has not issued a damage report. Assessment is ongoing as to the cost of damage to agriculture and infrastructure in other areas affected by Quinta, said its spokesman, Mark Timbal.
Other provinces, including Quezon and Albay, reported extensive damage to agriculture on Monday but did give estimates.
FATALITIES, MISSING PERSONS
The number of deaths due to Quinta rose to at least 10 based on consolidated information.
Timbal said the NDRRMC has recorded three deaths — one in Siaton and another in Bindog, both in Negros Oriental and another in Mogpog, Marinduque. The three died of drowning, said Timbal.
He said 13 persons remain missing and subject to search and rescue operations.
The Office of Civil Defense-Bicol region reported three more deaths on top of the Mogpog drowning victim. Two of the three victims drowned in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro, while another was hit by a fallen tree in Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro.
One died each in San Antonio, Quezon (drowning), another Mauban, Quezon (hit by fallen tree), Cagayan (drowning), and San Pablo, Laguna (hit by fallen tree).
Timbal said the NDRRMC said the number of affected population has reached 914,709 individuals. These are from 872 barangays in National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
Of the number, he said 123,366 were displaced and are either staying in evacuation centers or with their relatives or friends. He said he expects the number of evacuees go down due to improved weather.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said Quinta exited the Philippine area of responsibility at around 8 a.m. yesterday.
As of 4 p.m yesterday, PAGASA said Quinta was some 310 km north northeast of Kalayaan Islands in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
Signal No. 1 is still up in Kalayaan Islands.
PAGASA said Quinta will still bring light to moderate with at times heavy rains in Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Batanes, Cagayan, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Palawan (including Calamian, Cuyo, and Kalayaan Islands), Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
