President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday, November 6, approved the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to place the country under a state of national calamity, following the devastation left by Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) and in anticipation of another cyclone expected to hit next week.
Marcos made the announcement after a situation briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, saying the declaration was warranted due to the “scope of the problem areas” already hit by Tino and those expected to be affected by Typhoon Uwan.
He noted that “almost 10 to 12 regions” were either devastated or at risk.
Tino has pounded large parts of the Visayas and Mindanao with torrential rains and fierce winds, resulting in massive flooding, landslides, and displacement of thousands of families.
The death toll has climbed to 114, based on latest government reports.
Under the national calamity declaration, the government is expected to accelerate relief and rehabilitation, release calamity funds more quickly, and enforce price controls on basic commodities.
The declaration now also allows faster coordination among agencies responding to affected regions.
The President likewise directed concerned agencies to heighten preparedness as a tropical depression outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) — to be named Uwan once it enters — could intensify into a super typhoon before making landfall in Cagayan early next week, the state weather bureau said.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.