ADDRESSING DROUGHT. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visits San Jose, Occidental Mindoro to provide assistance to farmers and fisherfolks affected by the El Niño phenomenon on Tuesday (April 23, 2024). The President also presided over a situation briefing with Cabinet members and local officials. (RTVM Screengrab)
MANILA – The government is eyeing to build a dam in the province of Occidental Mindoro to help mitigate the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, especially in the agriculture sector, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.
Speaking at the distribution of various government assistance in San Jose town, Marcos said the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) is taking the lead in implementing the project.
“Mayroon tayong pinaplano na dam na ilalagay para ma-coveran hanggang San Jose, Magsaysay, at mapatubigan na (We are planning to build a dam to help cover the irrigation needs of towns like San Jose and Magsaysay),” Marcos said.
“Para naman kahit na mahina ang ulan ay mayroon pa tayong makukuhanan ng tubig (So even without rains, we still have a source of water),” he added.
Aside from irrigation water from dams, Marcos said the government will also provide the farmers solar-powered pumps to irrigate hard-to-reach upland areas.
Highlighting the importance of irrigation system to agricultural production, Marcos said even with complete provision of fertilizer, pesticides, farm equipment, and other inputs, optimum output cannot be achieved without sufficient water supply.
Occidental Mindoro, an agricultural province, is under a state of calamity due to the effects of El Niño.
During a situation briefing on the effects of drought on the province, NIA Administrator Eddie Guillen said the bidding process for the Lipitan dam will soon commence.
“Sisimulan na rin natin itong Lipitan dam natin. Ito'y mag-i-irrigate ng around 7,000 hectares. Ang amount nito, nasa PHP1 million per hectare tayo so almost PHP7 billion po ito. Ipapa-bid na ng NIA ito (We will start the Lipitan dam project. It can irrigate around 7,000 hectares. It's amount, since we are at PHP1 million per hectare coverage, it will cost around PHP7 billion. We will soon start the bidding process),” Guillen said.
Aid to farmers, fisherfolk
Marcos also visited farmlands affected by the drought and met with farmers and fisherfolk in the province.
He led the distribution of various government assistance, including the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) PHP3,000 fuel subsidy to 393 farmers; PHP5,000 each to 1,153 affected farmers under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance; PHP5.1 million to 193 farmers under the El Niño Indemnification Fund; and PHP77.5 million Survival and Recovery Aid loans.
The NIA, on the other hand, extended PHP7.38 million worth of operations and maintenance subsidy to two irrigators’ associations and certificate of condonation and exemption worth PHP18.48 million to one association.
The NIA likewise gave 24 units of solar pump irrigation projects worth PhP50 million to three IAs; and three communal irrigation projects worth PhP89.26 million to 3 IAs.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, and Technical Education and Skills Development Administration also provided various assistance.
Damage to agriculture
Meanwhile, Occidental Mindoro Vice Governor Aniceta Diana Apigo-Tayag briefed the President and members of the Cabinet about the effects of El Niño to the province.
She said that 67 percent of the province's overall farming area has been affected by the drought, of which 20 percent were "completely devastated."
This resulted to over PHP900-million loss to the agricultural sector, she said.
Last week, the DA said losses and damage to the country's agriculture sector due to El Niño has reached nearly PHP4 billion. (PNA)
