MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday declared a state of national calamity after Typhoon Tino killed at least 114 people and displaced thousands across the Visayas and Mindanao, while bracing the country for a potential super typhoon Uwan (international name Fung-Wong) expected to strike Luzon early next week.
The declaration, approved following a briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, will expedite the release of emergency funds, impose price controls on basic goods and streamline government assistance to storm-ravaged communities.
“Because of the scope of the problem areas that have been hit by Tino and will be hit by (Typhoon) Uwan, there’s a proposal by the NDRRMC which I approve — that we will declare a national calamity,” Marcos told reporters. “Almost 10 regions have been affected, and 10 to 12 regions will be affected by Uwan.”
Typhoon Tino, known internationally as Kalmaegi, slammed the central and southern Philippines with torrential rain and powerful winds, triggering widespread flooding, submerging entire towns and causing deadly landslides. Government figures released Thursday put the confirmed death toll at 114, with validation of additional fatalities, missing persons and damage assessments still underway.
The president said relief and recovery operations are in full swing, particularly in the hardest-hit Visayas, where national agencies, military units and police continue to deliver aid, restore power and clear roads blocked by fallen trees and mudslides.
Marcos acknowledged the challenge of splitting resources between ongoing response efforts in the south and preemptive evacuations in Northern Luzon ahead of the approaching storm.
“We will not leave Cebu until everything is in place,” he said, referring to one of the worst-affected provinces. “But we will do as much as we can to anticipate.”
A tropical depression east of the Philippine Area of Responsibility is forecast to enter the PAR and intensify into Typhoon Uwan — the country’s 21st storm of the year — with the potential to reach super typhoon strength before making landfall in Cagayan province early next week, the state weather bureau PAGASA reported.
The new declaration grants local governments immediate access to quick-response funds and authorizes the Department of Trade and Industry to enforce price freezes on essential commodities in affected areas.
Marcos assured the public that the government remains on high alert, with pre-positioned relief goods and evacuation centers ready for residents in Uwan’s projected path.
