ILOILO – The provincial government has 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 its residents.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. also signed Resolution No. 06, recommending the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) to declare a state of calamity across the entire province due to the ongoing drought conditions brought by El Niño.
The funding request targets the implementation of strategies by four different governmental bodies: the Provincial Agriculture Office, Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office, Provincial Veterinary Office, and the Provincial Health Office.
Defensor is hopeful for the SP’s approval to declare a state of calamity when they convene this Tuesday, May 14.
He anticipates no issues in gaining SP approval, given the substantial damages already reported.
El Niño has caused losses estimated at over P1 billion (P1,025,662,858.10) affecting rice, corn, high-value crops, fisheries, and livestock and poultry sectors.
The breakdown of the damage costs per sector includes:
* 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
Cornelio Salinas, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said an initial P61 million was proposed for the rehabilitation plan of the four provincial government offices. However, this amount was increased following the submission of their respective rehabilitation plans.
Currently, the towns of Sara, Estancia, Bingawan, Dingle, Balasan, Lemery, and San Dionisio and the component city of Passi have declared states of calamity due to the adverse effects of El Niño.
Here’s the breakdown of the proposed P110-million El Niño mitigation and recovery efforts:
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/PN