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Paeng death toll in Western Visayas rises to 36, 6 more missing

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Wena Cos and Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - The death toll from severe tropical storm Paeng in Western Visayas went up to 36 with 6 more still missing, Interior and Local Government Assistant Regional Director Maria Clapiza Sardoa said on Tuesday during a briefing with President Ferdinand &quot;Bongbong&quot; Marcos Jr. Of the total count, 13 come from Antique, 8 are from Iloilo, another 8 from Capiz, and 7 are from Aklan.Causes of death include drowning, being swept by strong current, flash flood, landslide, hypothermia, cardiac arrest, difficulty breathing, and electrocution.Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao said some citizens refused to comply with preemptive evacuation, noting that about 4 of the casualties drowned because they were trying to save their livestock grazing beside overflowing rivers. “Apat namatay na hinahabol ang baka nila kasama ang mga kamag-anak. Pero may preemptive kami. Matigas lang ang ulo ng iba in-underestimate namin kasi itong Paeng na ito,” Cadiao said during the meeting.(We did preemptive evacuation. But some of those who died were hard-headed and refused to evacuate, chasing after their cows with their family members. We also underestimated Paeng.)&quot;Hindi matigas ang ulo nila, ganiyan talaga everywhere. Problema ang evacuation, ayaw nila iwanan ang bahay nila, and you cannot blame them. Ang hinahabol ang baka, malaki ang halaga noon, mawawala na lang. Very natural ‘yan,” Marcos Jr. replied. (They are not hard-headed, that&#x27;s the way it is everywhere. Evacuation is the problem because they don&#x27;t want to leave their homes, and you cannot blame them. They run after their livestock because it cost them a fortune, it would be a waste if it died. It&#x27;s a natural reaction.)Marcos Jr. noted the need for authorities to strictly implement preemptive evacuation to mitigate the effects of calamities and prevent the unnecessary loss of lives.“You have to find a way to convince them,” he reminded the officials during the meeting.“I bring it up because the preemptive evacuation is always a good idea. Basta maitabi mo yung tao, they take them out of area of danger then you’re way ahead, kahit na may property damage which we cannot do about it anyway at least ang tao hindi nadala ng tubig o naanod at na heart attack,” he added.(If you are just able to bring the people to safety and out of danger, nevermind the property damage because we cannot do anything about it. So long as the people are safe from flood.)Public Works and Highways Regional Director Nerie Bueno reported 119 instances of damage to infrastructure caused by Paeng, including 68 damaged roads, 5 of which are impassable, 10 flood-control structures, and 41 bridges. Paliwan Bridge in barangay Cubang North, Bugasong, Antique remains impassable, causing vehicles to take a 7-hour detour through Iloilo to Aklan. Paeng cost some 1.78 billion pesos in infrastructure damage to Western Visayas. &quot;For public works siguro unahin natin as a priority to find a way first for people to be able to transport goods and people. Basta mabuksan somehow unahin natin baka light lang muna, mga motorsiklo lang muna pero eventually we want really to get even the trucks na nakakadaan,&quot; Marcos Jr. said. (We must prioritize public works to transport goods and people. We need to open bridges and roads somehow to let light vehicles like motorcycles cross, and eventually trucks.)DPWH is targeting the construction of a new Paliwan Bridge by December, seeking 355 million pesos in budget for the project. Meanwhile, data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development reported some 405,000 families affected by Paeng from 2,570 barangays in Western Visayas, with 84 families still displaced and seeking shelter in evacuation centers.Marcos Jr. greeted Antiqueños early on Tuesday morning, saying the national government will provide appropriate assistance.He also led the distribution of government assistance to citizens affected by Paeng in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique.Over a thousand recipients from different municipalities within the province received financial aid worth P5,000 each from the government. Also included in the relief aid are food packages and hygiene kits for typhoon victims.&quot;Nandito kami para tiyakin &#x27;yan at nag-ikot kami ng helicopter, tinignan namin kung ano ang mga nasira, &#x27;yung mga tulay, at gagawin namin kaagad lahat para mabalik, magamit man lang para naman matuloy ang pagdeliver, matuloy ang hanap-buhay at makabalik na naman tayo sa normal,&quot; Marcos Jr. said.(We are here to make sure to provide appropriate assistance. We went around via helicopter to see the damage especially on bridges. We must reconstruct them so people can transport goods and livelihood can continue.)Paeng damaged 25,400 houses in the region, with 1,889 totally damaged and 23,511 partially damaged. Some P45.9 million worth of food packs and P1.9 million worth of non-food items have been distributed through the DSWD.Some 4,000 beneficiaries received a total of 9.7 million pesos in financial assistance from the DSWD.The Department of Labor and Employment will also disburse P226.6 million worth of aid to 41,093 beneficiaries of the Integrated Livelihood Program or KABUHAYAN Program and its Tulong Panghanapbuhay Para sa Mga Disadvataged/Displace Workers or TUPAD Program. In Antique alone, some P132 million in damage to agriculture was recorded, while P107 million in damage was recorded in the rice industry, affecting 4,711 farmers.The Department of Agriculture (DA) distributed a P177.4-million certificate of rice farmer financial assistance to 35,493 farmers in Antique. The DA also provided farmers palay seeds under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund amounting to P13 million, which could benefit 6,843 farmers.Vegetable seeds, drugs biologics and disinfectants were also turned over to DA provincial office. <div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/rtvmalacanang/videos/1268866860561769/?extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&amp;ref=sharing" data-width="auto"> </div>

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. visited Antique on Tuesday to assess damage caused by severe tropical storm Paeng.

Paeng death toll in Western Visayas rises to 36, 6 more missing

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Paeng death toll in Western Visayas rises to 36, 6 more missing

Wena Cos and Pia Gutierrez,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 08, 2022 11:25 AM PHT

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Updated November 08, 2022 12:35 PM PHT

Read More:

Paeng

Bongbong Marcos

DSWD

DOLE

DPWH

Antique

Western Visayas

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