ILOILO – Mayor Jose Lam de Paula of Janiuay wanted his town placed under a state of calamity, citing the widespread adverse effects of the El Niño phenomenon to the municipality’s agriculture sector.
Damage to rice, corn, banana and other crops already reached P43,271,120, said de Paula.
El Niño is characterized by a drop in rainfall volume.
“Pero mas daku ang percentage sang palay nga affected sang El Niño,” said de Paula.
Over 900 farmers complained to the Municipal Agriculture Office being adversely affected, he revealed.
De Paula asked the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) to declare a state of calamity so that the municipal government could use its calamity fund to assist affected farmers and households.
One of the proposed assistance is water rationing most especially in upland villages.
De Paula hopes the SB would act on his request with dispatch because “El Niño is an emergency.”
While waiting for the SB’s action, the mayor asked officials of the town’s 60 barangays to list the assistance they need.
Early this week, the municipality of Lambunao declared a state of calamity due to El Niño.
“Most of the losses are in rice production because rice is our main produce,” said Mayor Jason Gonzales.
But other agricultural crops were adversely affected, too, such as banana, corn and a variety of vegetables, he added.
Losses reached P164,107,800 affecting 3,588 farmers, said Gonzales./PN
