President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the ocular inspection of the Navotas Pumping Station and Navigational Gate at Navotas City on Thursday, July 25, 2024. (KJ ROSALES/PPA POOL)

At least 21 deaths have been confirmed following the onslaught of the Typhoon Carina-enhanced Southwest Monsoon, Colonel Jean Fajardo, Director of the Public Information Office (PIO) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Thursday.  

The reported death tolls came from three regions: seven in the National Capital Region (NCR), three in Central Luzon, and eleven in Calabarzon. 

The PNP’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts are currently concentrated in Metro Manila, the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, which are severely impacted by torrential rains and massive floodings, Ms. Fajardo said.  

More than 1.1 million individuals have been affected by the combined effects of the Typhoon Carina-enhanced Southwest Monsoon, and the previous Typhoon Butchoy, according to the report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) on Thursday. 

In a situation briefing on Thursday morning, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. requested a detailed and specific report on the conditions in the affected areas to better allocate the national government’s resources. 

“Each province is different, each region is different, this has to be “measured response”… what I am trying to do now is to assess the situation, what national government needs to do to provide the proper assistance in a timely manner, for all of the areas are most need of help,” Mr. Marcos said in a situation briefing with the inter-agency council in Malacañang Park, Manila.  

As of July 25, nearly 630,000 individuals are currently displaced and took shelter in various evacuation centers.  

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has already released more than 360,000 family food packs among the affected regions.  

“The 360,000 there either being picked up as we speak, already deployed as of last night but they are all in the ground,” Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian said during the situation briefing.  

Mr. Gatchalian assured that they will meet the needs of the affected local government units by preparing to distribute an additional 100,000 family food packs across affected areas.  – Edg Adrian A. Eva

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