Ninety-eight persons were reported dead while 63 were missing from Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng”, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday.

At a “Laging Handa” briefing, NDRRMC spokesperson Raffy Alejandro said that of the 98, 58 individuals are confirmed dead. The 40 deaths are still being validated.

Twenty-five individuals were confirmed missing while 35 are being validated.

Alejandro said that 53 deaths were from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

A majority of the deaths from "Paeng" were caused by a landslide in Barangay Kushiong, Maguindanao, he added.

Damage to agriculture was estimated at P433.4 million, which affected 24,813 farmers, Alejandro said.

Rice was the most affected with 15,000 hectares damaged.

According to Alejandro, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will still assess the damage left by “Paeng” on infrastructure.

“We have recorded around 64 road sections that were closed. Then, some bridges were damaged, and 82 were not passable. Of course, the DPWH will inspect to find out the cause of the damage to the infrastructure,” he said.

Alejandro said the NDRRMC and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) recommended that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. declare a national state of calamity because it will facilitate “fast” and “efficient” disaster response, allowing unaffected regions to assist typhoon-hit areas.

“What is good about the state of calamity is that it will open the doors for everyone to help, especially the people in BARMM, Cavite, and Region 4-A where the effects (of “Paeng”) are seen. But of course, we leave it to the wisdom of the President, but we will be providing the necessary data for him to come up with a decision on this,” Alejandro said.

Alejandro said to prepare for incoming Tropical Storm ''Queenie'', they are coordinating with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) to monitor its direction.

“Beyond that, we are reminding everyone, including the LGUs (local government units), to restock and reassess their supplies to prepare for 'Queenie',” he said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS