THE death toll from the combined effects of tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay and the enhanced southwest monsoon has risen to 21, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Wednesday, as heavy rains continued to affect parts of the Philippines.
The latest OCD data as of 6 a.m. on Aug. 12 reported 15 deaths in Benguet, three in Rizal and three in Batangas, with landslides accounting for most of the fatalities.
Heavy rains have affected more than 3.1 million people, or 909,133 families, across 10 regions, including the Cordillera Administrative Region, Metro Manila and the Calabarzon region, the OCD said.
At least 14 people were injured, and one person remains missing, while 80,442 people are staying in 881 evacuation centers.
The OCD reported damage to 972 houses, including 904 partially damaged and 68 totally damaged, while infrastructure damage was estimated at P2.11 billion and agricultural damage at P196.85 million.
The government has provided P342.1 million worth of assistance to affected communities, the agency said.
In its 5 a.m. bulletin on Wednesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) forecast the southwest monsoon or habagat to weaken, but noted that intermittent heavy rains will persist over the Ilocos Region, western Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, and Marinduque, with rainfall still possible over Zambales, Bataan and Occidental Mindoro.
PAGASA said the eastern sections of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao will generally have improving or fair weather, though localized thunderstorms may bring brief rains.
Tropical Storm Nangka is being monitored outside the Philippine area of responsibility as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the weather bureau said. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking