ILOILO – This province has officially been placed under a state of calamity due to the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) approved yesterday the recommendation for such a declaration proposed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) led by Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
However, the SP deferred acting on the recommended reprogramming of the PDRRM Trust Fund of 2022 to 2023. A committee hearing will instead be held later this week, to be chaired by SP member Rolando Distura, to review proposed budgets for mitigating, response, and recovery measures to be implemented by the Provincial Agriculture Office (PaGRO), Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO), Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), and the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
Vice Gov. Christine Garin, the SP presiding officer, suggested to PDRRMO head Cornelio Salinas that the mitigation measures include immediate assistance to those directly affected by El Niño, such as cash assistance or cash-for-work programs, in addition to long-term solutions.
“People seem to need money the most right now,” Garin noted, emphasizing the immediate needs for food, water, and cash assistance.
The provincial government requested P110,780,000 to fund a series of mitigation, response, and recovery measures aimed at minimizing the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on residents. Here’s the breakdown:
Agriculture (P62,780,000)
* Provision of Alternative Livelihood to Farmers Affected – P12,870,000
* Crop Insurance Assistance to Affected Farmers and Fisherfolks – P10 million
* Construction of small water impounding and irrigation projects – P40 million
Environmental (P35 million)
* Construction of large-scale system (aboveground and underground) – P20 million
* Establishment of small scale water impounding dam/micro-hydro power plant – P15 million
Veterinary (P3 million)
* Vaccination against communicable diseases – P500,000
* Administration of multi-vitamin amino acids and electrolytes – P2 million
* Administration of injectable antibiotics – P500,000
Health (P10 million)
* Procurement of commodities for the minimum initial service package during disaster and emergencies – P2 million
* Procurement of commodities for nutrition in emergencies – P2 million
* Procurement of supplies for water sanitation and hygiene during emergencies and for victor borne diseases prevention and control – P1 million
* Procurement of essential drugs and medicines for prepositioning during health emergencies – P5 million
According to the PDRRMC, El Niño losses have reached over P1 billion (rice – P653,105,869.47; corn – P219,192,304.59; high-value crops – P136,606,261.04; fisheries – P16,561,871; livestock and poultry – P196,552)./PN
