LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- Battered by Typhoons Pedring and Quiel and incurring more than P700 million worth of damages, the province of Pangasinan was declared under state of calamity Monday morning.
The City Council of Dagupan also declared the city under state of calamity with several barangays still under water.
Provincial Resolution 397-2011 stated that the two typhoons, which came one after the other in a span of a week, left so much devastation in the province.
Based on the report of the Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), the partial damages caused by Pedring (international codename: Nesat) and Quiel (Nalgae) was estimated at P634 million and P83 million, respectively, with a total estimated amount of P717 million.
Copies of the resolution will be sent to Malacañang and other agencies like the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Agriculture, for their information.
Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan told the Provincial Board during Monday’s regular session that the province’s 2011 calamity fund (including the supplemental budget) is P157 million. More than P31 million so far has been used in fixing damaged public infrastructure, as well as funding other concerns after the province was earlier declared under state of calamity due to typhoon Falcon.
Baraan said the new state of calamity declaration will not mean the remaining calamity fund will all be used to address the problems left by Quiel.
He said part of the fund will be used to where it is needed most as there is still three months remaining this year.
In Dagupan City, the office of the mayor earlier recommended the placing of a number of barangays only under state of calamity. The City Government, however, deemed it necessary and more practical to declare the whole city under state of calamity. (Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre/Sunnex)
