By Lilybeth G. Ison (As released by the Philippine Consulate General of Los Angeles, California)

MANILA, June 24 (PNA) -- The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) on Tuesday reported the damage caused by tropical storm "Frank" (international codename: Fengshen), which battered Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Southern Luzon, has reached P4.27 billion.

NDCC executive director Glenn Rabonza placed the damage to agriculture and fisheries at P3.3 billion, infrastructure at P750 million, schools at P212 million, and fishing boats at P110 million.

Typhoon Frank has affected rice, corn and high value commercial crops (HVCCs), including fisheries in nine regions -- CALABARZON (Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon); MIMAROPA (Occidental   Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon); Bicol (Masbate); the whole of Western Visayas; Central Visayas (Cebu and Negros Oriental); and Eastern Visayas (Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar); and SOCSKSARGEN (Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and South Cotabato).

Agriculture Undersecretary Emmanuel Paras said damage to palay crops was placed at P670.7 million and 32,607 metric tons (MT) of palay lost, which represents 0.562 percent of the production target of 3.44 million MT for the July-September crop period.

On the other hand, he said the damage to corn crops reached P166 million, with the volume lost estimated at 14,132 MT from a total affected area of 16,064 hectares in Regions 3 and 6, and the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Quezon, Masbate and Cebu.

Corn losses represented 0.562 percent of the target of 2.51 million MT for the same period.

Paras said Western Visayas sustained the biggest damage amounting to P3.505 billion -- P609 million for rice, P157 million for corn, agricultural facilities of P29 million, and fisheries worth P2.25 billion (P1.25 billion for Bangus, P1 billion for shrimp).

Around 37,825 hectares planted to palay were also either totally or partially damaged, he said.

The DA official said the affected areas totalled 52,825 hectares from the entire Western Visayas and the rest of the affected provinces.

He said damage to HVCCs covering 5,574 hectares was valued at P194.16 million, representing a production loss of 19,303 MT.

Paras said initial field reports showed that damage to DA facilities in Western Visayas, which was hit the hardest by the typhoon, has reached P29 million.

Direct losses from all crop-production inputs used by the farmers in the storm-battered provinces was estimated at P665 million, and indirect losses from the combined value of the standing crops that were damaged was valued at P850.07 million.

Of these damaged areas, Paras said crops in 19,508 hectares were totally destroyed with no chance of recovering them, while those planted in another 63,186 hectares still had chances of recovery.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said some 351 schools were damaged by the typhoon, while some 140 others are being used as evacuation centers. He said cost of damage to public school buildings, either totally or partially damaged, was estimated at P212 million.

The Department of Energy (DoE), on the other hand, said at least six power lines have yet to be restored in Luzon while 50 percent of Panay Island in Western Visayas has yet to be energized.

Power has also started to normalize in Bicol, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol and Negros, it said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was supposed to preside over the NDCC meeting today in Malacañang through video conference from Washington D.C. but was unavailable due to a dinner engagement and several meetings.

She will have it instead at 1:30 a.m. (Manila time) Wednesday. (PNA) DCT/LGI

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