MANILA (UPDATE) — The death toll from the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng has risen to 98, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Monday, with little hope of finding survivors in the worst-hit areas.

Out of the total reported deaths, 58 have been confirmed while 40 remain for validation, said the NDRRMC.

Over half of the fatalities were from a series of flash floods and landslides unleashed by Paeng, which destroyed villages in Mindanao on Friday.

Mindanao is rarely hit by the 20 or so typhoons that strike the Philippines each year, but storms that do reach the region tend to be deadlier than in Luzon and central parts of the country.

"We have shifted our operation from search and rescue to retrieval operation because the chances of survival after two days are almost nil," said Naguib Sinarimbo, civil defense chief of the Bangsamoro region in Mindanao.

The number of fatalities is likely to rise, with the national disaster agency recording 63 people still missing and 69 others injured.

'WE WEREN'T ABLE TO SAVE ANYTHING'

The Philippine Coast Guard posted pictures on Facebook showing its personnel in devastated Kusiong village, in Maguindanao del Norte province of Mindanao, wading through thigh-high mud and water, using long pieces of timber in the search for more bodies.

Kusiong was buried by a massive landslide, which created a huge mound of debris, just below several picturesque mountain peaks.

Meanwhile, survivors continued the heartbreaking task of once again cleaning up their sodden homes.

Residents swept muddy water from their houses and shops as their furniture and other belongings dried in the now sunny streets of Noveleta municipality, south of the capital, Manila.

"In my entire life living here, it's the first time we experienced this kind of flooding," said Joselito Ilano, 55, whose house was flooded by waist-high water.

"I am used to flooding here but this is just the worst, I was caught by surprise."

Perfidia Seguendia, 71, and her family lost all their belongings except the clothes they were wearing when they fled to their neighbor's two-storey house.

"Everything was flooded -- our fridge, washing machine, motorcycle, TV, everything," Seguendia told AFP.

"All we managed to do was to cry because we can't really do anything about it. We weren't able to save anything, just our lives."

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COUNTING THE DAMAGE

The NDRRMC said some 590,000 families or 1.9 million people were affected by Paeng, of whom around 309,000 people fled to evacuation centers.

About 195 roads and 72 bridges remain impassable after the storm's onslaught, said the agency.

Paeng destroyed 689 houses and damaged 3,499 homes, the NDRRMC said.

The cost of damage to infrastructure is so far pegged at around P757.8 million. Meanwhile, damage to agriculture was estimated at P435.4 million.

Parts of the Lalog Bridge in Luna, Isabela was destroyed during the onslaught of Paeng. Photo courtesy of Rambo Baysac

Parts of the Lalog Bridge in Luna, Isabela was destroyed during the onslaught of Paeng. Photo courtesy of Rambo Baysac

Parts of the Lalog Bridge in Luna, Isabela was destroyed during the onslaught of Paeng. Photo courtesy of Rambo Baysac

The NDRRMC said Paeng affected 16,260.67 hectares of crop area. Of these, 3,678.06 have no chance of recovery.

In Calatrava, Negros Occidental, some rice farmers were worried that they would have little to harvest in January after floods swept away newly planted seedlings.

"Hindi na talaga mapapakinabangan ang isang ektaryang kong palayan," said farmer Noly Villacampo from Barangay Tigbao.

(An hectare of my paddy field is no longer of use.)

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Farmers check their mud-covered crops in Calatrava, Negros Occidental. RC Dalaguit De Vela

STATE OF CALAMITY

The NDRRMC over the weekend urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a yearlong national state of calamity due to the damage brought by Paeng.

A state of calamity allows the government to tap calamity funds, prevent a price hike on basic necessities, and grant interest-free loans.

"Isa pong nakikitang advantage diyan (an advantage there) is it allows other unaffected areas to extend help because that declaration will allow them to extend assistance to affected LGUs," NDRRMC spokesperson Bernardo Alejandro told ANC's "Headstart".

"It will also hasten emergency procurement."

Following the onslaught of Paeng, Bernardo said the NDRRMC would focus on the Bangsamoro, Calabarzon, Aklan and Samar.

Asked what made Paeng different from other tropical cyclones, Bernardo said, "It was very specific that it will only affect Northern Luzon but this time po, after a long time, medyo the entire country ay meron effect sa kaniya."

As of 11 a.m. Monday, tropical cyclone wind signal number 1 was still hoisted over parts of northern and central Luzon due to Paeng. State weather bureau PAGASA said Paeng may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Monday afternoon or evening.

• New tropical depression enters PAR as Paeng set to make exit

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— With reports from Ted Aljibe and Ron Lopez, Agence France-Presse; RC Dalaguit De Vela, Harris Julio, Benise Balaoing and Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News