NDCC: Ondoy damage reaches almost P5B; deaths now at 246

The Philippine agricultural sector and infrastructure have suffered enormous damage from tropical storm "Ondoy" pegged at P4.69 billion, based on the report issued by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) at 3 p.m., Tuesday. Based on Situation Report No. 13, Ondoy caused damage worth P3.17 billion to agriculture and P1.52 billion to infrastructure.

The damage was worst in Region IV-A where infrastructure and agricultural products worth P291 million were destroyed during the storm. The NDCC also reported that the number of fatalities rose to 246, after six more bodies were recovered in the provinces of Rizal and Laguna in Southern Luzon. Ondoy claimed the most lives in Calabarzon, where 105 deaths had been recorded by the NDCC as of posting time. Most fatalities in the region were from Rizal province, which recorded 87 fatalities. NDCC meanwhile reported 101 deaths in the National Capital Region and 37 in Region III or Central Luzon, which included 12 people who were killed due to a landslide in Arayat, Pampanga. Three others were killed in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). The number of missing persons had increased to 38 or 20 in Region IV-A; nine in Region I (Ilocos); seven in Region 3; one in Region II (Cagayan Valley); and one in CAR. There were five injured people: three in Kabayan, Benguet; one in Sta. Cruz, Laguna; and also one in Cavite. Ondoy's wrath that brought six hours of rain equivalent to a month's rainfall affected 334,959 families or 1,939,729 people nationwide. - with reports from ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMANews.TV