Manila, Aug. 17 -- The number of persons affected by the combined effects of tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay and the ongoing southwest monsoon (habagat) has climbed to around 5.08 million, residing in 10 regions, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Monday.

In a message to reporters, OCD information officer Diego Mariano said the affected individuals are equivalent to around 1.45 million families from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region, National Capital Region, and Mimaropa.

He said about 523 evacuation centers currently house around 7,182 families or 24,893 persons.

Assistance provided so far totaled to around PHP734...