El Niño hits 14 provinces

Source: Manila Bulletin
At least 14 provinces have been affected by the El Niño phenomenon which already left a trail of destruction worth P3 billion.

In a forum held in Manila, Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (AGAP) party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones identified these provinces as Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Mindoro Occidental.

Also included are Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblom, Masbate, Antique, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental.

He disclosed that the El Niño phenomenon has virtually rendered thousands of hectares of farmlands in these areas almost impossible to plow, prompting farmers to look for alternative livelihood.

“Aside from rice, the agricultural produce also severely hit by the extreme heat was corn triggering an increase of its prices in the local market,” he told reporters attending the forum.

Briones said the price of corn has already risen by at least P3 per kilo, from its P12 per kilo in the past weeks to P15 per kilo.

Aside from this adverse effect of El Niño, a total of 122, 748 hectares of corn land in these provinces have been left “cracked and dried up,”which was caused by the rise in the water temperature of the Pacific Ocean, he added.

Briones bared that some 35,360 hectares of rice lands in the 14 provinces were also affected by the extreme drought.

He expressed fear that the number of provinces affected by El Niño may still rise if the government will not do anything in cushioning its effect.

In Caloocan City, comprehensive plan to mitigate the effects of El Niño was finalized Monday afternoon with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the city government and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).

Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri signed for the local government while Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Norberto Gonzales signed for the national government in his capacity as head of the (NDCC).

Among the points tackled during the event was how the water concessioners could help save water by identifying areas that have busted pipes, thus spilling water out in the streets.

As this developed, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo has called on the government to provide relief assistance to farmers affected by the prevailing El Niño phenomenon in the country.

“The government has relief for calamities and this is not limited only to flooding, typhoons, and earthquake but even events like El Niño so I hope they give aid to these farmers,” Pabillo said.

The only concern of the chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines National Secretariat for Social Action is that the fund might be rechanneled elsewhere instead of the farmers.

‘If they declare a state of calamity in a province they should ensure that the fund will really go to the farmers and not use it for politics only,” said Pabillo.

“The national government should come out with a mechanism on how this fund should be utilized by the provinces. The governors on their part should assess if there’s a need to declare a state of calamity in their province,” he added. (With reports from Leslie Ann G. Aquino and Willie L. Catapat)