THE Provincial Government of Davao de Oro has incurred a total of P195,821,087.50 in damages caused by the trough of the low-pressure area (LPA).
In the data provided by the provincial government as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, February 6, 2024, a total of 280 houses were damaged, 160 of which were totally damaged and 120 partially damaged. The total damage cost is at P780,000.
In terms of infrastructures, damage cost reached P110,407,000. Based on the breakdown, six power poles were downed, eight water pipelines were damaged, and two telecommunication towers were affected.
Also affected are 125 roads (92 had been cleared and are passable to all types of vehicles), 18 bridges, and two culverts.
Damaged agriculture has reached an estimated cost of P84,634,087.50.
Meanwhile, 43,387 families composed of 160,307 individuals from 11 municipalities in the province were highly affected by the flooding and landslide.
Internally displaced families reached 43,387, while 15,786 families were inside evacuation centers, and 27,601 families were outside evacuation centers.
Among the casualties, 13 were declared dead, two were missing, and nine injured.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Joseph Randy M. Loy said in a press conference Tuesday morning that the trough of LPA had impacted the province especially the low-lying areas that are prone to flooding.
Loy revealed that the province has the highest number of casualties caused by the LPA.
"Unfortunately, gustuhon man nato nga zero casualty gyud ta sa matag panghitabo, apan naa gyud pipila ka sitwasyon na di malikayan (as much as we want to achieve zero casualty in every situation, but there are times that we can't avoid it)," he said.
Loy said that the province had already incurred more than P200 million in damages caused by the shear line in early January this year, which was worsened by the trough of LPA.
He added that the provincial government has not declared a state of calamity for LPA since it was covered by the declaration on January 24 due to the shear line.
Governor Dorothy Gonzaga said the province has initially allocated P12 million from the Quick Response Fund (QRF) for food and non-food assistance such as hygiene kits and construction materials to the affected families. She added that other agencies and other local government units (LGU) had also pledged donations to the province.
The governor added that barangays and municipalities had their own QRF, which they needed to spend during the calamity.
Gonzaga said the province has sufficient funds although she admitted that they are also anticipating future calamities. However, she is also confident that the province will be experiencing fair weather in the coming months in anticipation of the hot season.
As of February 3, 2024, the Office of the Civil Defense-Davao (OCD-Davao) recorded over 400,000 individuals affected by the trough of the Low-Pressure Area (LPA) in Davao Region. RGL
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