LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) 5 (Bicol) has reported that 408 schools were damaged and 244 classrooms were completely destroyed by Super Typhoon Pepito (international name Man-yi), which struck the region on Nov. 16.

 Mayflor Marie Jumamil, chief of the DepEd-5 Public Affairs Unit (PAU), said the data was based on the Rapid Assessment of Damages Report (RADaR) conducted across various school divisions in the region.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., meanwhile, handed over P50 million to the provincial government of Catanduanes for its immediate recovery from the impact of Super Typhoon Pepito.

President Marcos directed various government agencies for the immediate provision of relief goods, shelter assistance, and restoration of communication and power systems disabled by after Pepito.

Upon arrival in Catanduanes, the President, along with Governor Joseph Cua conducted an aerial inspection on the extent of damages brought by the typhoon.

Marcos at the same time vowed to help Catanduanes rehabilitate its fiber production industry.

QUEZON CITY – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported deaths from the combined effects of typhoons Nika (international name Toraji), Ofel (Usagi), and Pepito (Man-yi) have climbed to seven, with about 820,831 families affected.

The fatalities, however, could rise further as more reports come in.

In its latest situation report, the agency said the seven fatalities are all from Cagayan Valley.

The NDRRMC also reported that 14 persons were injured, 11 of whom were confirmed – nine in the Cordillera region and two in Central Luzon.

Still being validated are reports of three injured persons in Cagayan Valley.

Authorities are also verifying reports of three missing persons – two in Central Luzon and one in Cagayan Valley.

All of these figures are subject to change due to ongoing validation, the agency said.

Meanwhile, the NDRRMC said the affected families are equivalent to 3,031,171 persons residing in 5,859 barangays in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Cordillera.

The agency said 82,810 families, or 288,566 persons, were receiving aid in 2,693 evacuation centers while 43,015 families, or 154,291 individuals, were receiving aid outside evacuation centers.

Families preemptively evacuated number 212,161, consisting of 721,369 individuals residing in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and the National Capital Region.

The number of damaged houses has reached 22,421 in six regions – 19,014 of which were “partially” damaged while 3,407 were “totally” damaged.

The damage to agriculture and infrastructure was estimated at P8.64 million and P1.54 billion, respectively

Super Typhoon Pepito damaged the province’s abaca cultivation areas.

“Ang pinakamalaking naging problema, ‘yung agricultural damage. Catanduanes ang center ng production ng abaca at maraming nasira. Kailangan natin tingnan ulit kung papaano tayo mag-replant,” the President said after a situation briefing on Pepito’s effects to the province.

Eleven out of 16 municipalities of Catanduanes were severely affected by Pepito. Damages to houses, government buildings, schools, and other infrastructure were reported

“The data has been submitted to the central office as part of our reporting and funding requests. Schools have also been instructed to activate their Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) and medical teams to assess the safety of classrooms and facilities and to implement necessary interventions for those affected,” she said as PNA’s Connie Calipay reported.

Jumamil said the affected schools included 108 in Catanduanes, 144 in Camarines Sur, 113 in Camarines Norte, and 43 in Naga City.

Of the 244 classrooms that were completely damaged, the distribution was as follows: Catanduanes –102; Camarines Sur — 128; and Camarines Norte — 14.

Also, a total of 3,848 learners were displaced by the super typhoon.

Jumamil added that DepEd-5 has sent its regional DRRM team to Catanduanes to further assess infrastructure damage and address the immediate needs of students and teachers in the hardest-hit areas.

In a statement, DepEd-5 Director Gilbert Sadsad said the validation team will focus on the most severely impacted municipalities in Catanduanes, including Pandan, Panganiban, Gigmoto, Caramoran, Bagamanoc, and Viga, until Friday.

DepEd-5 has also reaffirmed its dedication to maintaining learning continuity despite the series of typhoons that affected the region.

Following DepEd Memorandum No. 64, s. 2024, schools are instructed to implement alternative delivery modes (ADMs), including the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP), to mitigate disruptions in the typhoon-affected areas.

“School officials must ensure that learning materials are readily accessible before implementing ADMs. This will help maintain access to quality education even under challenging circumstances,” Sadsad added