'Nina’ damage to Marinduque at P1B; calamity declared; relief goods for Marinduque diverted to Catanduanes

Outside the Boac Cathedral. Photo: Dan Pagulayan

The damage left by Typhoon “Nina” (international name: Nock-ten) to the island of Marinduque has reached more than a billion pesos, prompting the provincial government to declare a state of calamity.

A declaration of a state of calamity enables a local government unit to tap state funds for rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Photo: Rudy Mariposque

As of Thursday, power and water supply have not yet been restored, while communication has remained difficult in the towns of Sta. Cruz and Torrijos and parts of Mogpog.

“This morning, the province of Isabela arrived (with food and water aid), but even that is not enough,”  Rolando Josue, the chief of the Marinduque disaster risk reduction and management council, said in a phone interview.

The province has been placed under a state of calamity since Wednesday, following major damage to homes, roads and agriculture. On top of food and water supply, Josue said residents needed help in terms of construction materials to rebuild their homes.

DSWD Secretary  Judy Taguiwalo  arrives in Marinduque by chopper today, Dec. 30.
Photo: Olga Sumo Tamana

A report from the DRRMC in Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan (MIMAROPA) said 1,983 families (8,350 persons) were still in evacuation centers, as of Thursday.

The typhoon also damaged public schools and three government hospitals on the island.  Maricar Cinco/Inquirer

Relief goods for Marinduque diverted to Catanduanes

Meanwhile, Boac planning officer Luna 'Pongkoy' Manrique raised a 'major concern' through his Facebook account this morning regarding the diversion of relief goods intended for Marinduque to Catanduanes. 

Manrique posted that this was due to "incapability of the airport to accommodate the cargo plane" (two C-130's).

Manrique quoted a text message, apparently from the Office of Civil Defence, thus: "Abort mission na yung relief donation from mayor sara duterte sa marinduque inilipat ng OCD sa catanduanes, cam suralbay area".