MORE than a million worth of rice crops in San Simon town in Pampanga were destroyed during the onslaught of Tropical Storm "Pepito."

Based on the report of Mayor Abundio Punsalan Jr., a total of P1,346,560 rice crops were damaged by the two-day heavy rains brought about by Pepito.

But he assured affected farmers of the assistance they will be receiving from the local government following the loss of their supposed income.

"We have budget allocated for our agricultural sector specifically for disaster response so our farmers can expect some assistance," he said.

Meanwhile, Punsalan said portions of barangays in San Simon have also experienced flooding but no families were evacuated, and all major roads remained passable.

He said anti-flood measures such as desilting of waterways and upgrading of roads are continuously being implemented by the local government to prevent long-term flooding which causes various destruction in the town.