MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Man-made disasters caused the total damage in the Philippines worth 9.29 billion pesos (164.87 million U.S. dollars) in 2023, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday.
The agency said that out of the total annual damage, 4.93 billion pesos (87.5 million dollars), or 53.1 percent, was due to the oil spill.
"The reported oil spill in various regions resulted in damage in the agriculture sector," the PSA said in a press release.
The archipelagic country suffered from a massive oil leak from a tanker that sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro province off Luzon island in February last year. The disaster threatened the Philippines' marine reserves and sanctuaries, which are described as a global center of marine biodiversity and resulted in the temporary closure of several beaches and fishing grounds in the affected areas.
The PSA said minor human-induced incidents such as armed conflicts and fire incidents cost 4.36 billion pesos (77.39 million dollars) in 2023.
Meanwhile, the PSA said natural extreme events and disasters caused 24.49 billion pesos (434.66 million dollars) in total damage last year, 17.5 percent lower than that in 2022.
Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change, and among the most disaster-prone countries globally. ■
