NEWS | Sectors faced severe damage as aftermath of Typhoon Rolly
By Alexandra Kate Ramirez and Melissa Allauigan
Declared as the world’s strongest tropical cyclone in 2020, Super Typhoon “Rolly,” with international name “Goni,” ravaged the regions of Bicol and Southern Luzon on November 1 with maximum sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour (kph) according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). The catastrophic winds and heavy rainfall submerged several towns and left a total of 22 fatalities and ₱14 billion worth of damage to agriculture and public infrastructure.
Death toll and injured tally
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported a rise in Rolly’s death toll as it went up to 22 as of Nov. 6. NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal confirmed that among the total fatalities, 13 were recorded in Albay, five in Catanduanes, one in Camarines Sur, and three in Batangas.
While the injured tally remained at 165, three other people were reported missing in Bicol, CALABARZON, and MIMAROPA. Agency officials also clarified that changes in the number of casualties could occur over time as validation with Local Government Units (LGUs) continues.
Losses in agriculture and fisheries
The agricultural damages incurred by the typhoon adds ₱2.9 billion to the existing ₱2.6 billion losses from Typhoon Quinta. While production loss is pegged at 115,890 metric tons (MT), with high-value crops like rice and corn being the most affected, Catanduanes’ main product abaca also suffered ₱400 million worth of damages.
Initial estimates from the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) showed that the agriculture sector already incurred losses reaching ₱1.75 billion. According to DA Director Roy Abaya, these figures will likely increase as areas like Bicol are yet to give their updated data.
Despite the recorded losses, DA Secretary William Dar noted that there is still enough supply for everyone, as 242,000 hectares of rice plots and 11,000 hectares of corn plots were spared from the brunt of the typhoon. Abaya also added that ₱24.6 billion worth of goods were saved as they were harvested ahead of time.
The affected farmers were promised assistance as the DA regional offices prepared 133,326 bags of rice seeds, 17,545 bags of corn seeds, and 2,000 kilos of assorted vegetables seeds for distribution. Fishermen will also be provided fishing equipment and 10 million pieces of tilapia and milkfish fingerlings.
In terms of insurance, Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) had set aside ₱1 billion to pay for farmers’ losses. The Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) also allocated ₱300 million under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) loan program.
Meanwhile, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) Chairperson Rosendo So asserted that the PCIC needs to increase its budget “five-fold” to truly benefit small farmers. He said that there is a need for immediate financial assistance to provide for the farmers’ basic needs.
“In the long run, however, this period of extreme climate hazards as the new normal where subsistence farmers, backyard raisers and artisanal fishers have to cope with an increasing and more frequent crop and animal losses, government should and must provide guaranteed and automatic risk coverage to all producers,” So added.
Damage to infrastructure
As of November 6, the NDRRMC identified ₱11.2B worth of infrastructural damage. Of the total recorded damage, ₱7.251B were from the Bicol Region.
Roads in Catanduanes and Camarines Sur also became isolated and blocked due to landslides, fallen trees and electrical posts, and other scattered debris. According to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, 26 road sections were already cleared and opened by DPWH’s quick response teams.
Housing and basic necessities like electricity and water were also devastated by the typhoon. Civil defense administrator Ricardo Jalad revealed that Catanduanes garnered a total of 55,515 partially damaged and 20,661 totally damaged houses.
Additionally, the Office of Civil Defense reported at least 79,638 damaged houses in Albay and Camarines Sur.
The Department of Health (DOH) also reported 67 damaged health facilities in CALABARZON and Bicol. From this number, six are DOH-hospitals and treatment rehabilitation centers while three are local government-owned hospitals.
Power and telco outages
The National Electrification Administration (NEA) reported on November 1 that several power facilities were knocked down by Super Typhoon Rolly on its first landfall, thereby causing massive brownouts in all provinces of the Bicol region and parts of Quezon province.
NEA Deputy Administrator Nikki Tortala stated that 10 electric cooperatives (ECs) in the region reported power outages. Apart from collapsed electric posts, Tortala added that the outages were also prompted by damaged transmission lines by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
Meanwhile, Catanduanes Governor, Joseph Cua, spoke of the worsening isolation of the island province as it witnessed the typhoon’s peak strength on Sunday morning. In a virtual briefing with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Nov. 2, Cua said that 80% of the province’s electricity infrastructure was devastated and its ferry services were also disrupted.
Cua then pleaded to telecommunication companies for an immediate restoration of communication lines ensuing the onslaught of Rolly. Subsequently, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) urged the telecommunication firms to expedite the repair of services in the typhoon-hit areas.
In a memorandum issued on Nov. 2, which was signed by Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba, the NTC ordered Globe Telecom and Smart Communications to deploy free calls and charging services to Filipinos in badly-hit localities, all the while observing strict health protocols to prevent transmission of coronavirus disease.
Inadequate disaster preparedness
The research published by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) last October 29 revealed that local humanitarian actors in the country lack cohesive and reciprocal collaborations which result in ineffective disaster preparedness and higher vulnerability. HHI suggested boosting the connection and collaboration between local actors in the country as it can greatly strengthen the Philippine’s capacity to prepare for disasters.
“It would allow for greater flow of information, ideas and resources within the country’s disaster preparedness and resilience network… This would also help to increase the local system’s ability to respond to shocks and implement a coordinated strategy,” HHI Resilient Communities program director Vincenzo Bollettino explained.
