President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of national calamity Sunday after a massive typhoon ravaged the eastern Philippines and the Red Cross said it feared more than 1,000 people were killed, officials said. Arroyo's declaration would allow her government to more rapidly release funds needed to bolster search and rescue efforts and help several eastern provinces recover three days after Typhoon Durian struck, killing at least 309 people, presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said. Nearly 300 people remained missing, officials were quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
