WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (Nalgae), the Philippines’ 16th tropical cyclone for 2022, unleashed torrential rain that triggered floods and landslides in parts of Mindanao, the Visayas, and Luzon. It struck just as the country was heading into a long weekend to mark All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
Paeng’s five landfalls were all in Luzon, but initial reports show Mindanao suffered the most deaths, particularly the newly created province of Maguindanao del Norte.
Bookmark this page for PAGASA forecasts, updates on areas affected by Paeng, the latest news on government response, and other key information in the aftermath of the tropical cyclone.
LATEST UPDATES
What ex-NDRRMC chief thinks of Marcos’ non-declaration of state of national calamity
Retired vice admiral Alexander Pama, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) during the latter half of Benigno Aquino III’s administration, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made the right move in not declaring a state of national calamity in the wake of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng’s onslaught.
“I’m happy the President did not approve that. For me, having been there, done that, I think it will just raise more problems than solutions,” he said in a Rappler Talk interview on Monday, October 31.
Before news of Marcos’ decision broke, Pama had warned of the dangers of declaring a nationwide state of calamity abruptly without a comprehensive picture of the disaster.
“When you declare a state of national calamity for one year just for Paeng, it will exempt local government units [from complying with rules] of the procurement law to utilize funds [from] government agencies,” he added. “That is a danger because a state of calamity declaration and the [appropriated] funds may be abused, especially in places that are not badly hit by the storm.”
In Paeng-hit Cavite, Marcos jokes: ‘Welcome to Hokkaido’
It was a simple question to answer: Where was the President?
As Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (Nalgae) battered the Philippines with floods that damaged newly-planted crops and claimed the lives of nearly 100 people, the familiar phrase #NasaanAngPangulo trended on Twitter.
But a simple question that had lingered over the weekend didn’t get simple answers. Or any answers at all.
Read the Inside Track here.