“Habagat” ruins P60M infra, agri

PROV’L CAPITOL, Laoag City, Aug. 19– The recent Monsoon rains locally called Habagat has devastated almost P60 million worth of infrastructure projects and agriculture crops in Ilocos Norte due to severe flood disaster.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council officer Marcell Tabije reported that heavily damaged were P56 million infra projects.

The ruined infra, he said, includes roads, bridges, flood control river dikes, small water impounding dam, and sea walls. etc.

He added that in the agriculture sector, at least P3 million-worth rice plantation was destroyed as well as P60,000 high-value crops.

The monsoon rainfall was spawned by tropical strom Karding that hit Northern Luzon including Ilocos and environs.

Gov. Imee Marcos quickly issued a directive to all concerned local government agencies to extend immediate assistance to the affected farmers.

On the infra side, she tasked the engineering to speed up rehabilitation work of all affected projects without delay. (tri-media report)