US air assets to deliver aid to Davao de Oro landslide victims —AFP

Two United States Marine Corps (USMC) KC-130J Hercules aircraft will be used to help in the delivery of supplies to the victims of the landslide in Maco, Davao de Oro, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Monday.

In a statement, the AFP said the two USMC aircraft are now stationed at Villamor Air Base while the processing, weighing, and loading of supplies for transport this Monday are ongoing.

“The U.S. Marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force will assist with the ongoing disaster relief mission with troops from the Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing delivering essential supplies for distribution,” the AFP said.

According to the AFP, they are planning four deliveries daily—two per plane—to maintain a steady supply to the affected communities.

The AFP said this joint effort is in line with the commitment of the two countries to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as emphasized in the recently concluded US-PH Maritime Cooperative Activity.

“The AFP and the US Armed Forces are continuously working hand-in-hand to provide efficient support to the troops during the entirety of the said operations,” the AFP said.

As of Monday evening, the death toll due to the landslide was 55 with 32 injured, according to the municipal government.

A total of 1,388,691 people or 415,496 families in Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and Bangsamoro were affected by the inclement weather, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Of the affected population, 40,050 people or 10,172 families were staying in 159 evacuation centers, while 281,382 people or 95,021 were staying in other places.

Damage to infrastructure worth 738,619,756 and to agriculture worth 212,544,830 were reported. A total of 1,345 homes were also damaged —787 partially and 558 totally.

State of calamity was declared in the entire province of Agusan del Sur and in Lingig town in Surigao del Sur.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development meanwhile on Sunday announced that it has released over P200 million worth of assistance and a total of 282,561 family food packs to families affected by recent disasters in the Davao Region, including the deadly landslide that hit Maco, Davao de Oro last week.

The flooding and landslides were caused by the rains brought by the Northeast Monsoon or Amihan and the trough of a now-dissipated low pressure area. —KG/KBK, GMA Integrated News