MANILA, Philippines – Four regions in the Philippines affected the worst-hit by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (Nalgae) were placed under a state of calamity on Wednesday, November 2.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made the declaration through Proclamation No. 84, covering Calabarzon and Bicol in Luzon, Western Visayas in the Visayas, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in Mindanao.

Marcos may also place other areas under a state of calamity, as post-storm damage assessments continue.

Paeng, which first made landfall on October 29, devastated severals regions in the Philippines. Marcos has visited at least two provinces from those regions – Cavite in Calabarzon and Maguindanao del Norte in BARMM.

The declaration stays in place for six months, unless Marcos lifts it ahead of time.

Earlier, the President rejected a proposal to place the entire country in a year-long state of calamity in the aftermath of Paeng. In a chance interview in Cavite, he said the original proposal was not “necessary” since damage from Paeng is mostly “localized.”

Government estimates place over 1.4 million people from those four regions as “adversely affected” by Paeng, according to Malacañang.

By placing an area under a state of calamity, both national government and local government units can then tap into funds allocated for disaster response.

It also allows government to control the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities, with the goal of normalizing life in the area as soon as possible. – Rappler.com