BAGUIO CITY – The provincial board of Benguet has placed the province under a state of calamity after initial damage from continuous rains reached PHP1.06 billion, officials said Tuesday.
Vice Gov. Mary Rose Fongwan-Kepes said the provincial board approved the declaration during its regular session Monday based on the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).
“We approved the recommendation because it meets the criteria for a place to be declared under a state of calamity,” Kepes said in a media interview. “This will also allow the province to appropriately respond to the needs of the affected population and industries using the quick response fund of the province.”
The PDRRMC, chaired by Gov. Melchor Diclas, based its recommendation on initial damage reports from Benguet’s 13 municipalities and provincial offices.
The PDRRMC reported P1.06 billion in damage as of Aug. 18 from the combined effects of the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Maymay and Luis.
Roads and bridges sustained the highest damage at PHP708.7 million, followed by livestock, poultry, fisheries and farm structures at P318.6 million. Damage to public infrastructure was estimated at PHP30 million, while private property losses reached PHP11.2 million.
The disaster affected 6,362 farmers in the highly agricultural province, which produces about 70 percent of the country’s temperate vegetable requirements, according to provincial officials.
Five people died and three remained missing. A total of 413,031 families, or 40,121 individuals, were reported affected, while 211 houses were damaged, including 18 that were totally destroyed.
The declaration will take effect once the resolution approved by the provincial board is signed by Diclas. It will allow the release of 30 percent of the province’s 2026 Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund quick response fund for relief, recovery and rehabilitation efforts.
Diclas said damage estimates are expected to rise as rains continue.
He urged residents to remain vigilant because saturated mountain slopes are vulnerable to landslides.
The governor urged farmers to coordinate with the provincial government and the Department of Agriculture to help market their produce instead of leaving unsold vegetables along roadsides to spoil. **Liza Agoot
