MANILA - The Philippine Navy clarified on Sunday that the half-submerged ships seen in a video clip released by the Office of the Press Secretary were decommissioned vessels.

In a statement, the Philippine Navy said the three ships, namely the former BRP Rajah Humabon, BRP Sultan Kudarat and BRP Cebu, were decommissioned in 2018 and 2019.

These vessels are currently in the Navy's Graveyard Dock in Cavite, the Navy said.

"All three decommissioned vessels have been stripped of all serviceable equipment and usable materials," the Navy said adding that there was no reported casualty from Paeng.

The said vessels are also undergoing disposal and are likely to be sold as scrap, the Navy added.

The Office of the Press Secretary on Sunday posted a 30-second video of the aerial inspection of areas in Calabarzon affected by Tropical Storm Paeng.

Department of National Defense officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr., Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo, Interior Sec. Benhur Abalos, and Special Assistant to the President Sec. Antonio Lagdameo, Jr. flew over Calabarzon, particularly in Cavite, earlier in the day and observed that floodwaters have started to subside.

• 'Help is on its way', DSWD chief tells Paeng survivors

The death toll from the onslaught of Tropical Storm Paeng has risen to 48, latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed Sunday.

Injured victims have also risen to 40, while 22 people are still missing as of Sunday morning.

In the Bangsamoro region, the storm left 40 dead and 10 missing, the NDRRMC report showed. Data from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in Maguindanao however showed that up to 53 were killed and 22 missing.

Up to 932,077 people—or 277,383 families—across 46 provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were affected by the storm, the NDRRMC's latest data also showed.

More than 364,000 people were displaced, with a number of them staying in 2,125 evacuation centers nationwide.

Paeng left over 700 houses damaged, with 159 of these totally wrecked, the NDRRMC said.

Some 40,319 individuals were preemptively evacuated in 10 regions: Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Cagayan Valley, Bicol Region, Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Davao Region.

• Paeng leaves 48 dead, more than 900,000 affected: NDRRMC

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