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Speaker backs calamity state
NDRRMC recommendation awaits President’s approval
PAENG’S DOING. An aerial shot shows residents wading through a flooded
rice field at a village in Tuguegarao, Cagayan on October 30, a day after Tropical Storm Paeng hit. Authorities and emergency workers -- from the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection (pictured), and other security agencies -- scrambled to rescue residents trapped by floods and collapsed buildings while distributing relief goods across the country. AFP, PCG, BFP photos VOL. XXXVI • NO. 258 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
By Ronald O. Reyes and Rio Araja
ISASTER officials on Sunday formally recommended that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. place the entire country under a state of calamity for a year, after Tropical Storm “Paeng” left 48 people dead and a wide swath of destruction across almost all regions.
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Paeng is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility Monday morning or afternoon. A state of calamity would enable the government to tap additional funds
for disaster relief and freeze prices of basic commodities. House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Sunday said he supported the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) recommendation. “The NDRRMC respectfully recommends the following: declare a national state of calamity due to the effects, damage, and projected impacts by severe tropical storm Paeng for a period of one year, unless earlier lifted; and to accept offers of international assistance based on needs,” said NDRRMC Executive Director Raymundo Ferrer in his recommendation to Mr. Marcos. As of press time, Malacanang still had no word on whether the President Next page
Solons pledge P35m to relief kitty; Rescuers save scores from flooding By Rio N. Araja and Willie Casas EMERGENCY workers scrambled to rescue residents trapped by floods in and around Metro Manila as Tropical Storm “Paeng” swept out of the country
after killing at least 48 people. Several neighborhoods in towns and cities just outside Metro Manila remained underwater after the storm raked across the main island of Luzon overnight, cutting power Next page
House eyes adjusted 2023 budget to fund rehab of ‘Paeng’-hit areas THE House of Representatives may adjust the 2023 budget for rehabilitation of areas affected by severe tropical storm Paeng, Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez said Sunday. He called for a comprehensive assessment of the damage and destruction caused by Paeng in many parts of the country, saying Congress may adjust the proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for next year to ensure stormstricken areas get the help they need. The House has already passed the
proposed budget for next year on the third and final reading, while the Senate is yet to tackle it shortly after Congress resumes its session on Nov. 7. The Department of Agriculture estimated that the storm caused damage in Mimaropa, Bicol, and Western Visayas amounting to P49.54 million, affecting 762 farmers and a loss of 2,543 metric tons of production and 1,949 hectares of agricultural area. Affected commodities include rice, Next page
3 power plants shut, 4m Meralco clients without power amid storm By Alena Mae S. Flores and Darwin Amojelar THE Department of Energy (DOE) said three power generation plants were shut down on Saturday due to severe tropical storm “Paeng,” as the country’s biggest power distributor said more than half of its 7.5 million customers went dark as the cyclone rumbled through the country.
In a statement, the DOE said the plants included three units of Bacman geothermal power plant, Quezon Power Philippines Ltd.’s (QPPL) coal-fired power plant, and two units of TeaM Energy Therma Luzon’s Pagbilao coalfired power plant. Bacman Units 1 and 2 are operational again while Unit 3 was put on house load, or when a small part of the rated Next page
BUDGET ADJUSTMENT. Speaker Martin G. Romualdez on Sunday calls for a comprehensive assessment of the damage and destruction caused by Tropical Storm Paeng, as the House of Representatives may adjust the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget for the next year to fund the needs of storm-hit areas. Ver Noveno
PBBM ‘Undas’ note: Come to terms with mortality nos will be able to cope better and heal In his message for All Saints’ Day amid anguish and distress – especially and All Souls’ Day or “Undas” in FiliPRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ex- after another storm tore through the pino, Mr. Marcos said the COVID-19 pressed hope that in remembering the country, leaving scores dead and thou- pandemic has forced everyone to “come saints and departed loved ones, Filipi- sands more needing aid. Next page
By Willie Casas
Seoul-crushing: More than 150 killed in Halloween stampede SEOUL—More than 150 people were killed in a stampede at a Halloween event in central Seoul, officials said Sunday, with South Korea’s president vowing a full investigation into one of the country’s worst-ever disasters. The crowd surge and crush hit in the capital’s popular Itaewon district, where estimates suggest as many as 100,000 people Next page
HALLOWEEN DEATHS. A man sits amid the bodies of victims, believed to have suffered cardiac arrest, in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul on October 30. Dozens of people suffered from cardiac arrest in the South Korean capital after thousands of people crowded into narrow streets in the city’s Itaewon neighborhood to celebrate Halloween, local officials said. AFP
Not in Japan: Marcos home in Ilocos Norte MALACAÑANG yesterday belied speculations that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spent the weekend in Japan after he presided virtually over a full council meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Saturday to discuss relief operations in the wake of severe tropical storm “Paeng.” “He is not in Japan,” Office of the Press Secretary officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil said on Sunday after the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo trended on Twitter. Also on Sunday, Mr. Marcos was seen having lunch at the Dawang’s Eatery in Laoag City in his home province of Ilocos Norte. Wearing a baseball cap, a black T-shirt and shorts, Next page