Over 3.1 million people have been impacted by Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay alongside the southwest monsoon since August 1, with total infrastructure and agricultural losses reaching approximately P2.29 billion, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported Wednesday.
OCD information officer Diego Mariano confirmed that 909,133 families or 3,148,255 individuals were affected across 10 regions. Widespread flooding hit the National Capital Region alongside Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Calabarzon, Mimarop and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
At present, 22,893 families (80,442 people) remain taking shelter across 881 active evacuation centers.
Mariano noted that the government has dispatched P342.10 million in relief assistance. However, destruction remains widespread: initial infrastructure damage stands at P2.10 billion, while agricultural losses reached P196.85 million. A total of 972 homes were damaged, including 68 completely destroyed.
The official casualty count reached 21 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Benguet suffered the heaviest toll with 15 deaths, all caused by fatal landslides. Among them were 10 residents buried in Barangay Guisad Surong, Baguio City, on Sunday. Rizal reported three fatalities from landslides and a falling tree, while Batangas recorded three deaths due to drowning, electrocution, and a landslide.
In an interview, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong confirmed that evacuation warnings had been issued prior to Sunday’s disaster, which followed over a week of continuous rain.
“There was an order for them to evacuate…There were efforts really to evacuate them,” Magalong said, noting that some residents hesitated because they were accustomed to heavy rainfall without previous incident.
In response to the tragedy, Magalong announced immediate preventative measures, “now, we are going to declare that area as a no-build zone.”