TABUK DECLARES STATE OF CALAMITY, TYPHOON DAMAGE HITS OVER P200-M

November 30, 2024 Provincial

TABUK CITY, Kalinga

The city government has declared a state of calamity as damage from the series of recent typhoons has reached more than PHP200 million. “Kalinga has been officially placed under a state of calamity after the City Council approved Resolution No. 01, Series of 2024 on Tuesday. We have a lot of damage and we hope to source financial assistance to recover from the devastation,” Mayor Darwin Estranero said in an interview.

Raul Albert of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC), in a report to the City Council last Friday, said infrastructure damage reached PHP112.9 million; agricultural damage, PHP90 million; and losses to livestock and poultry, almost PHP1 million. “The series of typhoons has caused significant destruction, leaving the city with critical damage that require immediate intervention,” Albert said.

Kalinga, the region’s rice granary, produces about 180,000 metric tons of rice every year, with Tabuk City having the biggest yield in all the localities in the province. Most highland towns produce the heirloom rice varieties that are also grown on mountain slopes. Aside from the local calamity fund, the city government will also tap national government agencies in the region for assistance to provide immediate support to the farmers and residents whose farms and houses have been destroyed.

This, after the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) suffered from the wrath of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine
(international name Trami), Typhoon Marce (Yinxing), Typhoon Nika (Toraji), Super Typoon Ofel (Usagi), and Super Typhoon Pepito (Man-yi). To address the crisis, the City Council directed the CDRRMC to provide additional
documents, including reports from the Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) conducted by the Cordillera Regional DRRMC, as part of the document for the declaration of state of calamity and to serve as foundation for coordinated response and recovery planning.

With the declaration, the city government can access the calamity fund for immediate recovery and response actions,
including utilizing calamity funds for relief operations, rehabilitation, and essential services. Albert, in a separate
interview, said the declaration also allows the fast-tracking of procurement processes to ensure the availability of
necessary supplies and to freeze prices of basic and essential commodities in the city that also serves as the
marketplace of residents from the different municipalities in Kalinga.

He said they are also coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for provisions of relief supplies and other services such as counseling for the calamity affected individuals. “The city government is also collaborating with national agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private sector partners to ensure a
comprehensive and coordinated response,” he added.

(Jesse Maguiya/PNA)