THE Department of Agriculture (DA) continues to monitor and study strategies such as cloud seeding in selected areas, improving the irrigation systems and building climate resilient projects even as the national government is busy crafting measures to address, if not lessen the impact, of the El Niño that is affecting the country, President Marcos Jr. said yesterday.
The President visited Zamboanga Peninsula and led the distribution of cash and other forms of assistance to families, farmers and fisherfolks affected by the phenomenon.
He said he would also visit other regions to distribute government aid.
“Minabuti naming makapaghatid ng sari-saring tulong at suporta sa inyo dahil isa kayo sa pinaka-malubhang naapektuhan ng El Niño. Muli kong ipinapaabot na ginagawa po ng inyong pamahalaan ang lahat ng aming makakaya upang maibsan ang matinding pinsala na dinala dito sa Pilipinas ng El Niño. Hangad po namin na mabigyan kayong lahat ng maayos na buhay kaya naman po ay nagsisikap kami na bigyan ng pansin ang pangangailangan ng bawat probinsya at bayan sa buong bansa (We opted to deliver a variety of help and support to you because you are one of the most severely affected by El Niño. Your government is doing everything it can to alleviate the severe damage brought here in the Philippines by El Niño. We wish to give you all a good life, that’s why we are trying to pay attention to the needs of every province and town across the country),” he said.
Marcos said different government agencies are providing assistance to communities in need, including the Department of Health (DOH) which continues to ensure that the health and water supply needs of those affected by the El Niño are addressed, and the DA to cushion the impact on the agriculture sector.
The Task Force El Niño had said that cloud seeding is still being studied as it requires certain conditions before it could be done, such as the presence of clouds, the direction of the wind, a request from the local government unit concerned, and availability of air assets from the Air Force.
The President said the latest data he received is that 3.6 million Filipinos are already affected by El Niño and damages to agriculture and fishery have reached P5.9 billion.
He said in the Zamboanga Peninsula, more than 3,000 hectares of land and crops have been affected by drought.
Two municipalities and one city out of 67 municipalities and five cities in the Zamboanga Peninsula have been placed under a state of calamity due to huge losses incurred as a result of El Niño.
Some 66,878 families or 334,391 persons in 165 out of 1,904 barangays have been affected in the region as of May 7 this year.
Marcos led the distribution of close to P60 million in financial assistance and various government services to farmers and fisherfolks in the region, which includes a P10 million cash aid to Zamboanga City, P14.26 million to Zamboanga del Norte, P14.35 million to Zamboanga del Sur, and P20.30 million to Zamboanga Sibugay.
The Office of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez also handed over five kilos of rice to all the attendees. The President said Romualdez would also distribute more assistance on Friday.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also distributed P10,000 each to 10 beneficiaries each from Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga Sibugay and P10,000 each to 10,000 farmers and fisherfolk.
DSWD is set to implement its Cash for Work Program in Godod, Gutalac, Jose Dalman, Siayan, and Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte; and in Imelda in Zamboanga Sibugay which would provide a total of P21.9 million in cash benefits.
The department will also implement a city-wide payout in Zamboanga City involving P145 million cash aid to over 56,000 individual beneficiaries under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations.
The Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair will also be held in Zamboanga City from May 10 to 11, with 49 national government agencies providing over 405 different kinds of services to an expected 107,000 beneficiaries.
Other province-wide activities include LAB for ALL services, scholarship programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and livelihood assistance for various sectors.
The President said that as the country copes with the effects of El Niño, the government is likewise preparing for the La Nina.
“Extreme weather ang nararanasan natin. Matinding init ngayon at sa mga susunod na buwan naman ay asahan natin ang matindi naman na pag-ulan (We are experiencing extreme weather. Extreme heat now, and next month we expect heavy rains),” Marcos said.
He said local government units should be aware of the needs of their constituents and it is better to be prepared for any eventualities.
“Kaya naman po, nananawagan ako sa lokal na pamahalaan ng Zamboanga at sa mga karatig-bayan, buong rehiyon: Maging handa po kayo sa lahat ng oras (That is why we call on the local government of Zamboanga and nearby towns, the whole region, let us be prepared at all times),” he added.
La Niña is the irregular recurring upwelling of unusually cold water to the ocean surface along the western coast of South America and often occurs following an El Niño episode.
