The Department of Health (DOH) said on Sunday, July 30, it deployed medical and response teams to areas affected by Typhoon Egay (Doksuri) in Ilocos Norte. 

DOH Ilocos Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco said the Ilocos Norte government received first aid kits, heavy-duty cot beds, hygiene kits, water containers/jerry cans, troclosene sodium effervescent tablets for the disinfection of drinking water, antibiotics, cough and cold medications, pain relievers, vitamins, and salbutamol inhalers.

“We are continuously monitoring everything and making sure that medical assistance is adequate. All our provincial DOH offices are in coordination with the local government units [and] district hospitals to provide for any additional assistance or medical services,” she said. 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a situation briefing on Saturday, July 29, said there might be a need to secure supplemental funding for schools damaged by Typhoon Egay (Doksuri), which struck a month before the opening of classes.

Senator Imee Marcos, the President’s sister, was present in the briefing, and brought up the situation of schools in Ilocos Norte.

“I’d also like to report the unfortunate timing of this typhoon, which arrived exactly one month before the opening of class, August 28. The schools have suffered significant damage,” said the senator, naming schools in Bacarra, Lanao, Pallas, and other areas in the province which she called “unusable.”

Senator Marcos noted that many of the ceilings of classrooms were “totally ripped off.”

“We have to probably get supplemental funding. And there’s also this upcoming issue of who does it, the LGU (local government unit) or the national government?” the President said. “What can we do in a month?”

“In many cases, these are roofs, so I think it can be done quickly, hopefully,” replied Senator Marcos.

Top officials of Ilocos Norte, La Union, and Pangasinan presented to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday, July 29, the extent of damage that Typhoon Egay (Doksuri) brought to their provinces, all in the Ilocos Region.

Here’s a rundown of the damage in numbers, as of Saturday noontime:

Ilocos Norte

• People affected
  • 233 barangays
  • 16,879 families
  • 59,624 individuals
  • 4 reported deaths (all due to drowning)
• Damaged houses
  • 1,281 houses partially damaged
  • 96 houses totally damaged
• Damaged infrastructure
  • Total: P2,845,660,900
  • Laoag International Airport: P300,000
  • Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Districts 1 and 2 (roads, bridges, flood control): P1,017,603,200
  • Provincial roads and bridges: P71,450,000
  • Provincial buildings: P28,260,000
  • Infrastructure in municipalities: P1,728,047,700
• Damage to agriculture
  • Total: P361,039,106.58
  • Rice: P108,843,205
  • Corn: P31,962,883.08
  • High value commercial crops: P7,990,413.50
  • Agricultural infrastructure: P180,221,360
  • Livestock and poultry: P32,021,245

La Union

• People affected
  • 268 barangays
  • 15,824 families
  • 61,946 individuals
  • 1 reported injury
• Incidents
  • 91 total incidents
  • 77 flooded areas (25 have subsided)
  • 1 collapsed bridge
  • 9 rain-induced landslides cleared
  • 4 stranded individuals rescued
• Damaged houses
  • 777 partially damaged
  • 68 totally damaged
• Damaged infrastructure
  • 17 road sections affected
  • 2 damaged health facilities
• Electricity
  • 167 barangays experienced power interruptions
• Costs of damage
  • P37,312,222.50 estimated damage to agriculture
  • P295,000 estimated damage to infrastructure

Pangasinan

• Damaged houses
  • 89 partially damaged
  • 14 totally damaged
• Flooded areas
  • 59 barangays in 9 municipalities and 1 city
  • 31 barangays in Dagupan City
• Environmental impacts
  • 15 fallen trees
  • 1 landslide
• Costs of damage
  • P69,370,781.79 damage to agriculture (excluding livestock)
  • P1,180,000 damage to livestock
  • P32.9 million damage to infrastructure

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday, July 29, turned over cash assistance to the provinces of Abra, Mountain Province, and Benguet to aid in the local governments’ response to the aftermath of Egay.

Marcos handed over a check of P20 million to Abra Governor Dominic Valera, P10 million to Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan Jr., and another check for Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas.

The President also turned over to Valera two additional forms of assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

From the DA, he gave a certificate of award amounting to P9.9 million, and from the DOLE, a check amounting to P15 million under the department’s TUPAD or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program.

After the distribution program in Abra, Marcos proceeded to Laoag City in Ilocos Norte, where he also led the distribution of financial aid and generators to Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc, and several mayors of the province. Ilocos Sur Governor Jerry Singson, La Union Governor Raphaelle Veronica Ortega, and Pangasinan Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino were also in Laoag to receive cash aid and generators from Marcos.

The offices of Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos, the President’s son, as well as Ilocos Norte 2nd District Representative Angelo Marcos Barba, also received generator sets.

In a quick briefing with Abra residents on Saturday morning, July 29, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said authorities needed to fix electrical posts and inspect the entire power grid before turning on power again in the province.

“Ang pinaka-importante, water supply. Pero susunod diyan ‘yung kuryente. Kaya’t diyan kami nahihirapan,” said Marcos. (The most important thing next to water supply is electricity. That’s where we’re having difficulty.)

Marcos explained that in Abra, electrical posts fell, and the local government would need to restore them or install new ones. They would also need to thoroughly check the grid’s condition before switching on power.

“Kaya naman, ayaw nila ring i-on hanggang na-inspeksiyonan nila lahat ng poste, lahat ng koneksiyon, lahat ng mga wiring, na makita nila na maayos na,” he said. (They don’t want to turn it on until they’ve inspected all the electrical posts, all the connections, all the wiring, to see if they’re in good shape.)

The President said a practice from previous storms was to tap other provinces to send linemen to help fix the electricity, and this would be done with Abra as well. He eyed outsourcing linemen from Southern Luzon.

The Cagayan Provincial Information Office said at least 83 houses were totally damaged in the province, while 1,542 other houses sustained partial damage, as of 11 am on Friday, July 28.

The town of Abulug has the highest number of totally damaged houses with 40, while the town of Ballesteros has the most partially damaged houses with 1,307.

The full extent of the damage was still being assessed on Friday.