Office of Civil Defense in Bicol. (PNA file photo)
LEGAZPI CITY – Two provinces in the Bicol Region are now under a state of calamity due to the devastation caused by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng over the weekend.
Gremil Alexis Naz, spokesperson of the Office of Civil Defense-5 (Bicol), in a report on Monday said placed under such state were Albay and Catanduanes.
Albay Governor Noel Rosal announced the declaration through his Facebook page after the Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed Resolution No. 0169, series of 2022.
"The declaration of a state of calamity, under the law, authorizes the local government units to utilize local funds during an eminent disaster," the resolution read.
Naz said they are still waiting for a copy of the passed resolution for Catanduanes but the official Facebook page of the provincial government showed its Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council approved the move to place the province under a state of calamity.
"With the declaration, the provincial government and municipal LGUs (local government units) can be equipped to respond to the situations in their municipalities brought bY Paeng, but to also further prepare for the impending weather disturbances in the remaining months," the social media post added.
On Saturday, Paeng first made landfall in Virac, Catanduanes, at 1:10 a.m. and made a second one in Caramoan, Camarines Sur at around 1:40 a.m.
The tropical cyclone damaged crops, infrastructure and homes in different parts of the Bicol Region.
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released over PHP14 million worth of assistance to families in the Bicol Region badly affected by Paeng, the agency said Monday.
A total of 23,813 family food packs (FFPs) worth PHP14.3 million have been distributed to victims in the provinces of Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Masbate and Sorsogon.
Each FFP contains six kilos of rice, four cans of corned beef, four cans of tuna flakes, two cans of sardines, five sachets of coffee, and five sachets of cereal drinks.
It is sufficient for a family of five to last two to three days.
“We continue to distribute FFPs to the affected families, loading and delivery of FFPs as resources of augmentation to requesting local government units. We also provided FFPs to the evacuees in the provinces of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and Albay” Mary Gizelle Mesa, DSWD-Bicol spokesperson said in a phone interview.
Since Paeng-hit areas are now in the early recovery phase, the DSWD ensures the availability of both food and non-food items for relief augmentation.
The agency also noted 80 totally damaged houses and 942 partially damaged houses in the region.
The DSWD has been coordinating with other Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council members to fast-track the distribution of post-Paeng assistance.
Mesa also said the agency requested 20,000 additional FFPs and 2,000 hygiene kits from the central office in anticipation of a new weather disturbance. (PNA)
