In the aftermath of super typhoon Uwan’s rampage in Catanduanes, local officials are scrambling to provide assistance to affected communities, particularly those hard-hit by the storm surge and river flooding.
According to the latest update from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Regional Office V, the storm has affected a total of 198,462 people in Catanduanes, or just over 75 percent of its official population of 261, 169 as per 2024 Census of Population.
The OCD report as of Nov. 12, 2025 indicates that the total for the Bicol provinces is based on reports from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office and its field offices.
Those affected by STY Uwan in the municipalities are as follows: Bagamanoc – 7,470 in 19 barangays; Baras – 16,447 in 29 barangays; Bato – 15,137 in 30 barangays; Caramoran – 36,491 in 28 barangays; Gigmoto – 11,899 in 9 barangays; Pandan – 13,030 in 27 barangays; Panganiban – 3,554 in 21 barangays; San Andres – 17,929 in 34 barangays; San Miguel – 12,867 in 22 barangays; Viga – 27,698 in 31 barangays; and, Virac – 35,940 in 62 barangays.
As it is an official report sourced from government agencies, the numbers are supposed to be factual, particularly in terms of the number of barangays per town.
For an agency like DSWD or OCD for that matter, since they have been doing the same report many, many times every time a calamity like this occurs, there should be no question about their figures.
But for data that is the basis for the distribution of calamity assistance like Family Food Packs (FFPs) costing more than P700 each, the numbers should be correct and based on factual reports from the field.
A closer look at the OCD/DSWD report, however, uncovers some inaccuracies and improbabilities.
Three towns – Bato, Caramoran and Pandan – had more barangays that the actual number, something that could be understandably attributed to human error.
On a more serious matter, there could be a problem if one looks at the number of affected population per town and compares with the official population of the municipality per 2024 POPCEN.
Based on the same damage report, a total of 16,447 residents were affected in Baras town, or 11 percent more than its 2024 population of 12,992.
Viga has 27,698 persons impacted by STY Uwan, or 119 percent of its 2024 population of 21,264, while the town of Caramoran reported 36,491 individuals affected, more than 21 percent over its 2024 population of 30,124.
The highest percentage over 2024 POPCEN figures was in Gigmoto where, according to the OCD/DSWD report, a total of 11,899 persons were typhoon victims.
The total is an astounding 42 percent over the official population of 8,348 people as determined by census takers of the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) a year earlier.
Where the DSWD got the extra 3,500 typhoon victims is certainly a mystery.
In the past, bloating the number of typhoon victims as well as the cost of damaged infrastructures was a prevalent practice among local officials.
After all, following that Chinese saying, they sensed and benefited from a calamity being an opportunity to make money for themselves.
But in this era where social media reigns supreme and public exposure could put local officials to shame, deliberately altering reports to present inflated data should be a thing of the past.
This early in the disaster response phase, concerned officials should bear in mind that the deliberate use of false and inflated data in support of the request for funding, relief goods, equipment or other aid commodities for emergency assistance or livelihood projects is a violation of Section 19 (i) of Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
It carries with it the penalty of a fine ranging from P50,000.00 to P500,000.00, or imprisonment of not less than six years or more than 12 years, or both at the discretion of the court.
If the offender is a public officer, he or she would be perpetually disqualified from public office, with the objects and instrumentalities used in committing the act confiscated or forfeited in favor of the government.
The same warning goes to politicians and their conspirators in infrastructure agencies who will submit bloated requests for funds for the repair and rehabilitation of damaged public works.