The severe weather system fueled by Tropical Cyclone Inday and the intensified southwest monsoon (habagat) has claimed 26 lives, with the total number of impacted individuals across the Philippines surging past the one million mark.
In its 6 a.m. situation update, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) revealed that the tally of affected citizens had nearly doubled compared to its prior report, expanding to over one million people, or roughly 244,000 families.
The fatalities occurred across multiple provinces: 10 were documented in Sarangani, seven in Lanao del Sur, four in Davao Occidental, two in Zamboanga Sibugay, two in Bukidnon, and one in Iloilo. Officials noted that landslides and drowning were the leading causes of death.
Furthermore, the OCD logged nine injuries resulting from weather-related incidents, primarily due to landslides. The injured individuals include two from Benguet, two from Lanao del Sur, two from Maguindanao del Norte, and one each from Marinduque, Davao Occidental, and Sarangani.
Search teams are also working to verify the status of 14 people who are still missing across Davao Occidental, Lanao del Sur, Sarangani, Zamboanga del Sur, and Maguindanao del Sur.
“Validation of the reported casualties is still ongoing,” OCD information officer Diego Mariano said.
These updated figures show a sharp spike from the previous tally of 18 deaths and 562,000 affected citizens, as disaster management teams continue search-and-rescue operations and field assessments.
Currently, 86 temporary shelters remain active, housing approximately 5,000 displaced families, which equates to about 22,000 individuals.
The onslaught of the tropical cyclone and monsoon rains also took a toll on housing, damaging 1,619 homes nationwide. Among these, 766 residences were completely ruined, while another 853 sustained partial damage.
Financial evaluations estimate infrastructure losses at ₱4.18 million, alongside roughly ₱12.5 million in agricultural damages.
To cushion the impact, a collaborative effort by local government units and national agencies has enabled the distribution of around ₱73.06 million in relief aid to the stricken communities.