Areas under state of calamity now 324
THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday said 324 cities and municipalities across the country have been placed under a state of calamity due to the continuing effects of the El Niño.
El Niño is a weather phenomenon that increases below-normal rainfall conditions that leads to dry spells and droughts.
In its Thursday situation report, the NDRRMC said the El Niño has affected the livelihood and living conditions of 1,075,690 families or 4,307,644 individuals in 5,174 barangays in 13 of the country’s 17 regions.
The agency said 119 of the cities and municipalities under state of calamity are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM), while 71 are in Western Visayas.
It added that 40 cities and municipalities in Cagayan Valley are also under a state of calamity, 32 in Soccsksargen, 28 in Central Visayas, 17 in Mimaropa, eight in Northern Mindanao, three each in Ilocos region and Zamboanga Peninsula, two in Eastern Visayas, and one in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The three regions with the highest number of affected population are Western Visayas (437,176 families or 1,635,869 individuals), Soccsksargen (148,123 families or 726,935 individuals), and BARMM (126,368 families or 623,231 individuals).
The other regions with affected population are Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, and CAR.
There were no reported affected population in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Bicol region.
The NDRRMC said it has provided P1.09 billion worth of assistance in Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, and Soccsksargen.
It said P906.19 million of the total assistance provided was in the form of cash aid.
Last March, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that while El Niño is already weakening, its effect will persist until this month beforethe La Niña phenomenon sets in, possibly in the June-July-August season.
La Niña is a climate pattern that characterize above average rains.
AYUDA
In BARMM, which is one of the regions hardest hit by the El Niño. President Marcos Jr. Yesterday distributed more than P50 million worth of financial and other forms of assistance.
The President, during his separate visits to Tawi-Tawi and Maguindanao Del Sur, handed checks of P10 million each to Tawi-Tawi Gov. Yshmael Sali, Basilan Gov. Hadjiman Salliman-Hataman, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Mangudadatu, Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Abdulraof Macacua, and Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. to help stave off the impact of the El Niño.
A check of P10,000 each was also handed to 10 farmers and fishermen beneficiaries from Tawi-Tawi and Basilan, and 10 beneficiaries from Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.
The checks were on top of the P10,000 cash assistance distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to 10,000 beneficiaries composed of farmers, fisherfolk, and their families.
The President, in both events, said he personally visited the two provinces to see for himself the actual conditions on the ground and determine if the assistance that the national government is providing is sufficient to address the needs of affected families.
“Nais kong ipaalam sa inyo na nagsisikap ang inyong pamahalaan upang mabawasan ang tindi ng epekto nito sa ating pang araw-araw na buhay (I would like you to know that your government is working hard to lessen its effect in our daily lives),” Marcos said in his speech during his visit to Bongao in Tawi-Tawi.
He affirmed his administration’s commitment to continue assisting those affected and who are in need.
Some 80 members of the House of Representatives led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez joined the President in his visit to Tawi-Tawi and distributed five kilos of rice to each attendee.
The national government also launched the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair – a program that brings frontline services and aid to marginalized communities all over the country – which is participated in by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Department of Agriculture (DA).
The President assured the people of Tawi-Tawi that there would be more government projects in their province soon as it is part of his commitment to preserve peace in the locality and the Mindanao region. He said he would also be visitingthe province a lot to see through the different projects and check with local communities.
Last year Marcos inaugurated the Improving Growth Corridors in the Mindanao Road Sector Project in Tawi-Tawi.
The government is also implementing several programs in Tawi-Tawi, among them the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Quick Response Fund and KALAHI- CIDSS Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay which aim to provide assistance and jobs to individuals affected by calamities, the Bangsamoro Umpungan sa Nutrisyon or BANGUN to address malnutrition among children and pregnant women, and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the DOLE.
In Maguindanao del Sur, the President echoed his message that he chose to personally extend the financial assistance and witness the condition of those affected as well as to hear their sentiments and even ideas on how to mitigate the effects of the El Niño.
Marcos also assured the residents that his administration will continue to monitor the situation in the Mindanao region and the condition of its people to ensure more effective measures are implemented to respond to their needs.
He also assured the residents that the government is preparing ahead of the onset of the La Niña, with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) now closely working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other government agencies to implement the “Flood Risk Management Project sa Allah River Basin.”
The President said other government projects are already in the pipeline, including the rehabilitation of the Provincial Access Road in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, and the Rajah Buayan aimed at ensuring seamless transport system and the local industry in Maguindanao del Sur.
Marcos also inaugurated, during his visit, the Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project (MMIP) Stage II project that aims to provide sustainable irrigation system to thousands of farmlands in Cotabato and Maguindanao.
As this developed the DSWD said more than P439.95 million worth of family food packs have already been distributed to more than 1.24 million families or 4.78 persons who were affected by El Niño nationwide. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
