NDRRMC suggests declaring state of calamity over entire Luzon

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Monday recommended declaring a state of calamity over the entire Luzon due to the extensive damages brought by the previous typhoons.

“It was approved during the meeting the recommendation for President Rodrigo Duterte to place under state of calamity the entire Luzon to address the impacts of the latest typhoons that hit the country,” NDRRMC executive director Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad said following the council’s emergency meeting.

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“It was also agreed during the meeting to convene a technical working group of the joint prevention, mitigation, and preparedness clusters of the NDRRMC to assess the current dam management,” he added.

NDRRMC chairperson and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana directed the weather bureau PAGASA to revisit its historical data to intensify storm warnings beforehand.

During the meeting, Lorenzana discussed various issues to concerned agencies such as assistance to affected farmers and fisherfolks, road clearing, shelter requirements, and other recovery operations.

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Under a state of calamity, businesses would not be allowed to increase the prices of basic commodities, as stated in Republic Act 7581.

NDRRMC suggests declaring state of calamity over entire Luzon

Section 6 of the Price Act said that “if the prevailing price of any basic necessity is excessive or unreasonable, the implementing agency may recommend to the President the imposition of a price ceiling for the sale of the basic necessity at a price other than its prevailing price.”

In the previous weeks, three strong storms battered Luzon, killing dozens of individuals and destroying thousands of homes.

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Typhoon Quinta arrived in the last week of October and left three people dead in Negros Oriental and Marinduque.

Super typhoon Rolly, the world’s strongest typhoon for 2020, hit the Bicol region and left Catanduanes isolated. It also affected over two over two million people from Regions I, II, III, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, Cordillera Administrative Region, and the National Capital Region. Rolly left 25 people dead and injured 300 others.

The latest powerful typhoon, Ulysses, claimed the lives of 67 as of Monday morning, while wounded victims are 21. The NDRRMC said 13 people are still missing.

Ulysses also triggered the “worst” flooding in Cagayan in 40 years.