Fifty-three cities and municipalities across Luzon have been placed under a state of calamity as of Aug. 20, in response to the effects of the enhanced Southwest Monsoon, or habagat, and Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s 8 a.m. situational report.
Cavite accounts for the largest share of the declarations, with all 23 cities and municipalities in the province placed under calamity status — more than any other province on the list.
The Cavite provincial board approved the resolution on Aug. 10, authorizing Gov. Francisco Gabriel “Abeng” Remulla to tap 10 million pesos from the province’s Quick Response Fund for relief operations, according to earlier reports.
Pampanga follows with 21 areas under a province-wide declaration. Bulacan has three municipalities — Calumpit, Hagonoy and Bulakan — while Pangasinan has two, Santa Barbara and Mangaldan, in addition to Dagupan City. Zambales’ Masinloc, Rizal’s Rodriguez (Montalban) and Batangas’ Nasugbu round out the list with one municipality each.
A state of calamity declaration allows local governments to access emergency and quick-response funds for relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts, and permits the imposition of price controls and anti-hoarding measures on basic goods.
The combined weather systems have affected millions of people across Luzon and the Visayas in recent weeks, with the death toll climbing past 20 as of mid-August, according to earlier OCD and NDRRMC reports. Tropical Depression Neneng has since developed and continued to enhance the monsoon, prolonging heavy rains in several of the affected provinces, including Cavite.
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