IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa gives an update on the department's immediate intervention to farmers in El Niño-affected areas, during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Thursday (Feb. 29, 2024). De Mesa urged farmers to register with the government to easily receive the aid. (Screengrab)
MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) urged Thursday farmers in the country to register with the government's registry system for a quicker reception of aid amid the El Niño phenomenon.
“Magparehistro sa ating RSBSA (Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture) dahil nakaalalay po rito iyong ating mga ayuda na binibigay natin (Register on our RSBSA because it backs us up in our aid distribution),” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing.
He also reminded affected farmers to coordinate closely with the municipal, city, and provincial agriculturists for information and aid reception.
De Mesa cited the mobilization of immediate aid to affected farmers including the PHP500 million worth of survival and recovery loan, and the PHP1.8 billion insurance, PHP3,000 per farmer fuel assistance, among others.
“Bawat magsasaka ay pwedeng makahiram ng PHP25,000 bilang ayuda. Ito’y walang interest at walang kolateral (Each farmer may loan PHP25,000 [and] as aid without interest no collateral),” he added.
Besides these, the DA also operated solar-powered irrigation systems as sustainable water sources alongside the distribution of vegetable seeds and high-value crops and cloud seeding operations in select areas.
Initial cloud seeding operation in some areas in Cagayan Valley was also reported successful.
“Cloud seeding will be very dependent on so many factors. Hindi pa natin mabanggit sa ngayon kung saan lugar na ito (susunod). Malaki yung pag babasehan natin sa rekomendasyon ng PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration), ng DND (Department of National Defense), at ng mga technical experts para again, masigurado yung success ng ating operations (We cannot say as of now where to proceed next. We would significantly use PAGASA’s recommendation as a basis, as well as the DND, and our technical experts so we can ensure the success of our operations),” de Mesa said.
To date, the country has sustained agriculture damage and losses worth more than PHP357 million, with Iloilo being the hardest-hit province followed by Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro.
El Niño agri damage tops P941-M
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), meanwhile, put the amount of agricultural damage caused by the El Niño at PHP941.7 million in five regions, as of Thursday.
In its latest data, the agency said Western Visayas is the hardest hit region with PHP564 million worth of damage, followed by Mimaropa with PHP359.7 million; Ilocos region with PHP54.4 million; Calabarzon with PHP2.75 million; and Zamboanga Peninsula with PHP717,527.
A total of 16,709 farmers and fisherfolk have also been affected by El Niño, it added.
Long term solutions
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) chief Eduardo Guillen, meanwhile, underscored the importance of long-term interventions alongside immediate aid to farmers.
“Ang long-term solution po diyan, patayuan iyong dalawang bayan na yan, Bulalacao at saka Magsaysay ng mga high dams (The long-term solution for that is to build high dams in the towns of Bulalacao and Magsaysay),” he said in a phone patch interview.
He noted how President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. views the matter in the long run, ensuring appropriate action for the sector regardless of the prevailing weather phenomenon.
”Ang mindset ng ating Pangulo (The mindset of the President is), in every mindset lies a seed of opportunity. Sabi niya kapag nagtayo tayo ng mga high dams na mas marami pa kapag La Niña, babawasan natin ang baha at makakapag-ipon ng tubig (He said if we build additional high dams, during La Niña, we can alleviate flood and keep the supply),” Guillen said.
“So flood control na siya, may high dam tayo at kapag may El Niño may naipon tayong tubig (So that’s flood control, we have high dams, and when El Niño comes, we have water reserve),” he added.
In January, President Marcos signed Executive Order (EO) 53 to streamline, reactivate, and reconstitute the old El Niño task forces under EO 16 (s. 2001) and Memorandum Order 38 (s. 2019).
Under EO 53, the President instructed the task force to secure a comprehensive disaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan and ensure “systematic, holistic, and results-driven interventions” to aid the Filipinos and alleviate the devastating effects of disasters. (with Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
