The Philippines’ first and only industry magazine that deals with safety and security matters pervading the environment today.

Pablo Death Toll Rose to 906; Cost of Damage Over P15B

MANILA, Philippines—In its latest report released on December 14, the National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) recorded 906 fatalities, of which 575 bodies were identified; 2,660 injured; and 932 still missing brought about by the aftermath of Typhoon Pablo.

The said typhoon affected regions IV-B, VI, VII, VII, IX, X, XI, XII, and CARAGA covering 32 provinces; 38 cities; 263 municipalities; 1,999 barangays; 537,445 families; and 5,516,181 residents.

Also, the “total number of population currently served inside and outside the evacuation centers is 202,068 families / 854,984 persons,” according to the NDRRMC report.

Most, if not all homes were destroyed. A total of 149,748 houses were damaged with 88,925 partially damaged and 60,823 totally damaged across the nine affected regions.

Many groups have already provided assistance to typhoon victims such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at Php47,624,187.30; Department of Health (DOH) at Php16,587,036.62; Local Government Units (LGUs) at Php24,076,801.73; NDRRMC at Php3,505,706.93, and other government and non-government organizations at Php9,257,002. The total cost of assistance is approximately Php100,050,734.98.

International organizations also extended assistance like the World Food Programme (WFP) that contributed 100 metric tons of high-energy biscuits through the DSWD, the Government of Malaysia that donated assorted relief items, the New Zealand government that pledged $NZ500,000 financial aid through the International Federation of the Red Cross, and the Mercy Relief of Singapore that secured two units of Pedalpure Portable Water Filtration Systems.

The typhoon ruined major infrastructure resulting to 20 bridges and eight roads declared impassable, 16 areas with power interruption, and six areas with water supply interruption, not to mention Davao Oriental with interrupted communication.

Damage to properties was estimated at Php15,116,602,128.05 with Php5,370,849,200.00 on infrastructure; Php9,696,793,515.05 on agriculture; and Php48,959,413.00 on private properties.