MANILA - More than P2 billion was lost in damages to infrastructure due to the onslaught of 2 storms in the past weeks, a government official reported on Tuesday.

"Ondoy" and "Pepeng" (international code names Ketsana and Parma, respectively) brought P2.05 billion in damages to roads, bridges and flood control structures, according to Presidential Management Staff and Pro-Performance Steering Committee Chairman Hermogenes Esperon.

The amount, Esperon said, does not include the country's P187-million loss from damaged irrigation facilities.

"As of October 15, damage to infrastructure (brought by Ondoy and Pepeng) is at P2.05 billion for roads, bridges, and flood control structures," he said at the 35th Philippine Business Conference and Expo in Manila.

Aside from additional repair costs on the part of construction firms, damages to roads and bridges translate to losses for businesses which heavily rely on transport. Agricultural businesses, for one, will have difficulty transporting crops, vegetables, and livestock if thoroughfares are flooded or destroyed.

Given this, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) regional director Nicolas Beda Priela called for proper maintenance of infrastructure projects in the country so it can withstand the effects of natural calamities such as "Ondoy" and "Pepeng."

Specifically, Priela proposed fee-based mechanisms, "more relaxed" requirements for the privatization of road construction projects, and a greater role for local government units (LGU) "to ensure national connectivity."

"There's a need for infrastructure intervention to be adaptive to climate change, since (damaged roads) also affect resource mobilization," he said.

Esperon said the Department of Public Works and Highways has already been directed to release funds for the repair of damaged infrastructure. He added that the agency has started clearing and reopening damaged roads and affected waterways.

Recently, President Arroyo created the reconstruction commission to help the country prepare for future weather abnormalities. The group is chaired by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, together with Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Vidal. - Text and photo by Karen Flores, abs-cbnNEWS.com