ECOWEBPH

Typhoon Paeng left Philippines with BARMM, three provinces, 4 cities and municipalities under the state of calamity¹ after having six landfalls across Virac, Catanduanes; Caramoan, Camarines Sur; and Buenavista, Quezon. Paeng’s fourth landfall was in Santa Cruz, Marinduque, fifth landfall in Sariaya, Quezon, and its sixth landfall in Baliuag, Bulacan.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) recorded 4,863 damaged houses most of which are in Regions 6, 5 and 10, BARMM, and in Region 9 – the most inundated and most evidenced with landslides.

After three days, there are 499 areas that are still inundated, 477 areas where flood has subsided, and 13 areas with receding flooding in Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, Calabarzon, MIMAROPA, CARAGA, and BARMM.

State of Evacuees after PaengPH

Across the affected regions of the country, 102 areas reported having landslides.² 

There are 101 persons reported to have died of which 73 persons are confirmed dead, 70 are injured, and 66 persons are missing.3 

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported a total of 748,799 families or 3,090,207 persons affected by severe flooding in 7,492 barangays.⁴ Displaced communities figured about 221,653 families or 909,440 persons of which 76,015 families or 294,193 persons are currently taking temporary shelter in 3,143 evacuation centers while 145,638 families or 615,247 persons are temporarily staying with host communities.⁵ 

Regions with highest record of displacements are Regions VI, BARMM, Region V and Region 12. The loss of agriculture production is estimated at P 1. 2 billion and the most affected of the loss are Regions 5, 6, 3, and CAR. Damaged to infrastructures are pegged at 760.3 million highly affecting the Regions 5, 7, and 10. The devastation that came along with typhoons increase the economic risks among affected populace whose resources, if there’s any, will be utilized for household-based recovery, specially those who have lost their loved ones, homes, properties, and agricultural products. This will further the poverty threshhold and incidences among regions.

In 2021, the Annual Per Capita Poverty Threshold and Poverty Incidence among Families with Measures of Precision by Region and Province in 2021⁶ showed that the current affected regions have the following poverty incidences: 29.8% in BARMM, 11% in Region 1 or Ilocos Region; 11.&% in Region II or Cagayan Valley; 8.3% in Region 3 or Central Luzon; 7.2% in Region IV-A or Calabarzon; 15% in Mimaropa Region; 21.9% in Region V or Bicol region; 13.8% in Region VI or Western Visayas; 22.1% in Region VII or Central Visayas; 22.2% in Region VIII or Eastern Visayas; 23.4% in Region IX or Zamboanga Peninsula; 19.2% in Region X or Northern Mindanao; 11.9% in Region XI or Davao Region; and 21.4% in Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN).⁷ 

The poverty threshold and incidences in Cotabato is 31.3% and 23.8% in Sultan Kudarat.⁸ Likewise, Maguindanao has 29.8%; Basilan has 42.5%; Sulu has 51%; and Tawi-tawi has 28.1%⁹.

Statistical data further demonstrated that income Gap, Poverty Gap and Severity of Poverty Measures in 2021 is estimated at 28.8% in BARMM, 29.9% in Caraga, 27.4% in Sultan Kudarat, 26.1% in Maguindanao, 29.5% in Basilan, 33.9% in Sulu, and 26.6% in Tawi-tawi.¹⁰ 

  A comprehensive intervention for recovery is primeval to regain normal lives and improve their level of resiliency.

Damage to Infrastructures and Services

NDRRMC reported a total of 389 road sections and 82 bridges were affected of which 189 roads and 72 bridges are impassable.

About 280 cities/municipalities suffered power interruption but 105 areas have already their power supply restored.

There are 7 cities and municipalities with water supply interruptions while 42 areas in MIMAROPA, Region 5 and 8 have no access to communication lines.

There are still three (3) airports that are nonoperational while six (6) others have resumed their normal business operations. A total of 385 domestic flights and 59 international flights were cancelled. A total of 110 seaports were affected but 27 ports are already operational.

Suspension of classes remained effectual in 670 cities and municipalities and in 230 workplaces. Of these schools, 617 or 1,856 classrooms are still being used as evacuation centers.¹¹

PaengPH Effects to Mindanao

In Mindanao, Maguindanao, Parang, Upi and the entire BARMM have been declared under the state of calamity.

The most affected areas are BARMM, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga city, Cotabato city, and North Cotabato. Less affected areas are the two towns of Dinagat Island, Butuan city of Agusan del Norte, the seven towns/city of Surigao del Norte,Tagoloan of Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Samal of Davao del Norte, and South Cotabato.¹²

BARMM recorded poverty incidence among families at 29.8 percent which translates to 0.23 million poor among BARMM families; 37.4 percent of people in BARMM were poor in 2021 which translates to 1.71 million considered poor families or below the poverty threshold. Basilan province recorded 53.5; Sultan Kudarat at 23.8%¹³, Lanao del Sur at 10.9 percent; Maguindanao at 38.0 percent; Sulu at 62.5 percent; Tawi-Tawi recorded 36.5 percent while Cotabato City recorded 39.7 percent based on the 2021 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES).¹⁴

PaengPH has affected 202,598 families or 582,884 persons in 389 barangays in BARMM.¹⁵ These are from the four towns of Basilan, 30 towns in Maguindanao, a town in Lanao del Sur, Bongao of Tawi-tawi, and in Midsayap, Pigcawayan, and Pikit clusters of SGA.¹⁶ 

BARMM has recorded 51 dead, 14 missing, and 31 injured persons. Of those who died, 31 are confirmed from Datu Odin Sinsuat. PaengPH damaged partially damaged 341 houses and totally damaged 314 houses.¹⁷

BARMM’s airports in Awang suspended two flights and the ports in Jolo, Sulu suspended its trips due to bad weather condition.¹⁸ The Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) likewise reported that 84 schools in BARMM were flooded.¹⁹

Maguindanao Focused

On November 1, 2022, during the Executive Situation Report in Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao, the province reported 124, 501 families or 622,505 families are affected by PaengPH from 30 of its 36 municipalities as of October 31, 2022. That is 78% of the provincial populace of 1,667,258.²⁰ This is inclusive of 370 affected barangays which is 72.83% of the sum of 508 barangays in the entire province.²¹

Provincial governor of Maguindanao Mariam Mangondadatu reported 61 persons confirmed dead. 40 persons injured, and 17 persons considered missing.²² Among those who died, a number were buried in a landslide.

These landslides happened in barangay Kuslong, DOS; barangays Romonggaob and Looy of South Upi; and in barangays Maagabo Bayanga Sur, Upper Bayanga Sur Norte, and Kabugaw Sapad of Matanog town.²³ 

PaengPH damaged 80 houses made of light materials in the province.²⁴ 

Affected areas in the upland region are in Upi, South Upi, Barira, Matanog, and Maguindanao while the coastal zones of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Blah Sinsuat Maguindanao also bear the brunt of the inundation.²⁵ Other affected lowland areas are in Talayan, Gindulungan, Northern Kabuntalan, and Ampatuan. There were 172 barangays that were inundated by flooding in the plains of Maguindanao while there are 198 barangays were affected in the northern side of the province. 26 

As to their infrastructures, there were ten (10)²⁷ damaged bridges that are declared impassable.

Damaged livestocks and poultry are estimated at P2.4 million across Datu Odin Sinsuat, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Astura, and North Upi. ²⁸ Power lines of MAGELCO, a cooperative power distributor utility, estimated its infrastructure damages to P 30 million, inclusive of metering and some transformers which made Datu Blah Sinsuat, Datu Piang, and Parang without power supply.²⁹ 

Governor Mariam Mangundadatu likewise pleaded to PSALM, NEA, and NGCP to consider its unpaid power consumption which soared to P 3 billion debt and notice of electric supply disconnection.³⁰ She also appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos to support them to prevent power disconnection in Maguindanao.³¹ 

Among the most needed necessities in the evacuation centers are medicines for children who are suffering fever and cough.³²

Indigenous Peoples affected, too

The indigenous peoples suffered the effects of Typhoon Paeng too but which is often not reflected as  disaggregated data on gender and indigenous populace albeit the fact most of them are in marginalized and geographically disadvantaged communities.

In Luzon –across Regions 1, 2, Caraballo Mountains, and along Sierra Madre — affected communities also included diverse indigenous populace. These tribes are the Agutaynen, Tagbanua, Cagayanen, Cuyunon, Ke’ney, Batak, Pala’wan, Molbog, Iraya Mangyan, Hanunuo Mangyan, Alangan Mangyan, Buhid Mangyan, Tadyawan Mangyan, Batangan Mangyan, Gubatnon Mangyan, Ratagnon Mangyan, Ati, Ati Sulod/Bukidnon, Magahat Korolanos, Ata, Bukidnon, Escaya, Badjao, and Kongking in Region I; the tribes in Agta, Kalanguya, Bugkalot, Isinai, Gaddang , Aggay , Dumagat , lbanag, Itawis, and lvatan in Region II; and, the tribes of Aeta, Negrito. Baluga, Pugot, Abell ing, Agta, Dumagat, Remontado, Bugkalot, Cimaron, Kabihug, Tabangnon, Abiyan, (Aeta), Isarog, and ltom in the ranges of Sierra Madre.

In Caraga and Agusan provinces, affected indigenous populace are Manobo, Mandaya, Mansaka, Dibabawon, Banwaon. Bagobo, Ubo Manobo, Tagakaolo, Talaingod, Langilan, Mamanwa, Higaonon, Blaan, T’boli, Kalagan, Tagabawa, Mangguangan, Tigwahanon, Sangil, and Agusan Manobo.

Meanwhile, in Central Mindanao – where Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao are located, affected tribes are Aromanen, Tiruray, Bagobo, Ubo Manobo, Subanen, Maguindanao, Maranao, Iranon, Karintik Blaan, and Teduray Lambangian.

The landslides in Sultan Kudarat and in Maguindanao reportedly victimized indigenous people who relied on farming as source of living.

Civil society saw the need to have a disaggregated data of indigenous peoples during disaster management because there is sensitivity with respect to their culture, gender and care for women, and they have unique indigenous knowledge systems and practices in disaster management and recovery. This is also consistent to the protection of their culture, traditions, and institution based on their cultural diversity, customs, beliefs, and institutions.

PaengPH Out, QueeniePH (Banyan) In

PaengPH intensifies further as it continues to move over the West Philippine Sea at 15 km/h with a maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 135 km/h.³³ Light to moderate with at times heavy rains still possible over Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cavite, Batangas, the southern portion of Quezon, Western Visayas, Babuyan Islands, MIMAROPA, and the rest of Central Luzon. Flooding and rain-induced landslides are possible remained possible.³⁴ 

TCWS No. 1 is still raised over Abra, the western portion of Benguet, the southern portion of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, the central and western portions of Pangasinan, the central and western portions of Tarlac, and the northern and central portions Zambales.³⁵

  PaengPH was estimated based on all available data at 400 km West of Sinait, Ilocos Sur and will be out of the Philippine Areas of Responsibility (PAR) by November 3, 2022.³⁶