WILDFIRE FIGHT. A female firefighter in Mansalay town, Oriental Mindoro instructs a woman on the use of a fire extinguisher on Thursday (March 7, 2024). The town has seen a surge of wildfires due to the drought. (Photo courtesy of Mansalay MDRRMO)
CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – Firefighters in Mansalay town in this province have been dispatched to provide water to farms amid an intense dry spell that has prompted local authorities to declare a state of calamity.
In an interview with the Philippine News Agency on Friday, Mikka Zuñiga, head of research and planning at Mansalay’s Municipal Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO), said Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) firetrucks have been sent to irrigate farms in a bid to save dying crops.
Zuñiga said the state of calamity declaration by the Sangguniang Bayan (municipal board) on Thursday allowed the Municipal Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (MDRRMC) to leverage the resources of multiple agencies, such as the BFP, in efforts to save the town’s agricultural sector.
The official admitted the town’s firemen have been forced to multitask in recent days because the lack of moisture brought about by El Niño has also set the stage for the outbreak of numerous wildfires across Mansalay.
“Since the state of calamity was only declared yesterday (March 7, 2024), we are still at the monitoring and assessment stage. The MDRRMC is still trying to determine what kind of interventions the municipal government should provide those affected (by the drought). Sending the BFP to supply water to farms is just the initial move,” Zuñiga added.
However, the official said the crops in many farms in Mansalay are beyond saving, constraining municipal authorities to consider either giving out cash or food packs to agrarian families who have suddenly found themselves unable to produce food.
The MDRRMC has so far already met with the town’s barangay chairmen, and crucial meetings are scheduled next week so that a way forward can be drawn for mitigating the drought’s impact on the community, Zuñiga added.
The council is composed of the town mayor, as its chair, several municipal government department heads, and representatives of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Department of Education. (PNA)
