MANILA, Philippines - Damages wrought by the armed clashes between soldiers and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao has climbed further to almost P121.5 million, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said Tuesday.

In its 8 a.m. report, the NDCC said the figure includes P38.53-million damage to infrastructure and P82.95 million in agriculture.

Of the damage to infrastructure, almost P20 million accounted for private properties and P17.4 million for school properties. The livestock and farming sectors also lost more than P31 million and P45 million, respectively.

Lanao del Norte suffered the biggest damage, totaling to P64.64 million. Meanwhile, damages in North Cotabato were placed at P35.64 million, and in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at P21.2 million.

A total of 199 houses have been damaged since suspected MILF rogue elements began their attack in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato several weeks ago. The NDCC said that 64 of these houses were totally burned down by the MILF rebels.

Meanwhile, three houses were totally destroyed and 30 others were partially damaged in Tipo-Tipo town in Basilan province.

NDCC’s latest tally showed that the damages have almost doubled since Sunday when damages were reported to be around P63.189 million.

In the same report, the NDCC also said that Libungan town in North Cotabato has already been declared under a state of calamity. Earlier, Maguindanao province has been placed under a similar state of calamity.

The government said it has extended P60 million worth of assistance to affected residents in the form of sacks of rice, canned goods, blankets, and clothes among others. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV