FORTY-FOUR people have died as a result of floods caused by the shear line in the southern and eastern regions of the country that started on Christmas Day, December 25, 2022.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Friday, December 30, 2022, said 13 deaths have been confimed, four of which were from Davao Region and three each from Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Caraga.

The other 31 deaths are still under validation, 24 of which are from Northern Mindanao, six from Bicol Region and one from Zamboanga Peninsula.

The disaster management office also reported 28 missing persons, three have been confirmed while 25 are still up for validation.

The three confirmed missing persons were from Eastern Visayas (two) and Ilocos Region (one), while the remaining 25 that were under validation are from Bicol (12), Eastern Visayas (10), Northern Mindanao (two) and Western Visayas (one).

Twelve individuals were also reported injured, two were confirmed -- one each from Zamboanga Peninsula and Davao Region -- while 10 individuals from Northern Mindanao are still being verified.

The NDRRMC said a total of 131,028 families or 509,340 individuals have been affected by the floodings.

Damage to agriculture was placed at P234.78 million, while damage to infrastructure was at P1.13 billion.

The agency also reported that 3,522 houses were damaged in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Caraga, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Of the figure, 3,679 were "partially damaged" and 843 were "totally damaged" houses. (SunStar Philippines)