BY MAI LADIAO
ANTIQUE – The municipality of Sibalom in Antique has declared a state of calamity due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.
According to Roque Cordero, municipal administrator, the damage caused by the hot and dry weather patterns to the town’s agriculture has exceeded P35 million.
Most affected are rice crops, with over 1,200 farmers suffering losses, Cordero added.
Further, the municipal government has already implemented a water rationing scheme, as eight barangays are experiencing water scarcity.
The town also plans to acquire a boom truck to assist the Bureau of Fire Protection in providing water aid to residents.
Currently, Sibalom is the only municipality in the province of Antique under a state of calamity, as confirmed by Broderick Train, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
As of the first week of February 2024, the reported initial losses in rice and corn crops due to El Niño in the entire Antique province were P109 million.
Damage to aquaculture reached over P11 million as of February 19, 2024, affecting 678 hectares and at least 175,000 units of combined milkfish, catfish, tilapia, and prawns. (With additional details from PIA-Antique)/PN