Manila, Aug 19 (IANS) Philippine authorities are verifying reports of 27 deaths as severe weather continues to affect nearly 5.4 million people in the Southeast Asian country, the Office of Civil Defence (OCD) said on Wednesday.
The number of injured from recent extreme rainfall triggered by tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon stood at 17, with one person still missing, said the OCD, adding that a total of 206 houses were destroyed and 1,787 others damaged.
Around 461 evacuation centres are sheltering over 12,000 families, while assistance provided to the affected communities has reached 797 million pesos (about 13 million US dollars), said OCD information officer Diego Mariano, reports Xinhua news agency.
Earlier on Monday, the local media reported that the Philippine government has suspended in-person classes in Metro Manila and 12 other provinces as heavy rains from tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon continue to batter the country.
According to Memorandum Circular No. 127 issued by the presidential office on Monday, schools and government agencies in affected areas were directed to adopt alternative work arrangements, except for frontline services such as health, disaster response and other essential functions.
At least 50 cities and towns have declared a state of calamity, with Pampanga and Cavite placing all their municipalities under the status, according to the Office of Civil Defence.
The extreme rainfall has triggered severe flooding and landslides across the nation. The well-known flood-control corruption scandal has left key infrastructure unfinished or poorly maintained, further straining the country's disaster response, local media reported.
The OCD on Monday said that around 5.08 million people across 10 regions in the Philippines have suffered from extreme rainfall brought by tropical cyclones and monsoon rains.
The OCD reported about 1.45 million affected families, with 24,893 people seeking shelter in 523 evacuation centres. The government has provided 734.1 million pesos (about 11.93 million US dollars) in aid so far.
--IANS
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