HEAVY downpour over the Christmas weekend left 28 people missing and at least 44 dead across central and southern regions, the Office of the Civil Defense.
The rains injured 12 others, damaged some 4,500 houses, wiped out around 7,000 hectares of crops, and forced tens of thousands of people into evacuation centers, the national disaster agency said.
The OCD pegged the cost of damage to infrastructure at around P1.1 billion, while agricultural damage was estimated at P234.7 million.
The rains have left at least one province and 6 towns under a state of calamity.
The state weather forecaster said a shear line and the amihan could stir more rains in parts of the country during the long New Year weekend.
