103 LGUS have declared state of calamity on El Niño

AS the effect of El Niño reached it peak this month, a total of 103 local government units (LGU) have now declared a State of Calamity due to droughts.

In a televised interview with PTV on Wednesday, Task Force El Nino spokesperson Jose “Joey” M. Villarama II disclosed the list includes cities, municipalities and provinces.

The list includes the five provinces which suffered from the brunt of El Niño, namely, Occidental Mindoro, Antique, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan and Maguindanao del Sur.

“Actually, the President mentioned yesterday almost the entire Philippines has been affected, but in varying degrees. That is why the focus of the government aid depends on the need of each province,” Villarama said.

LGUS which declared a State of Calamity can tap their calamity funds to mitigate the effects of disasters, including El Niño-induced droughts.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported El Niño has thus far caused P3.94 billion worth of damage to 66,000 hectares of agricultural lands.

“But I would like to emphasize 78 percent of the 66,000 hectares have a chance of recovery or salvageable – this means [that] whatever the state of the crops, even if they are dried out or shrivelled , 78 percent of the crops can still be used,” Villarama said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) earlier said the impact of El Niño is expected to peak this month, putting 48 provinces under drought status and 24 others under dry spell conditions.

Citing the forecast from Pagasa, Daexpectsthedrought-affectedareas will experience rains next month as the impact of El Niño starts to wane.

BERNARD TESTA THE scene at Sol y Mar Iloilo Family Beach Resort in Tigbauan, Iloilo, depicts a dried-up pond with dead fish, creating a stark contrast against the resort's vibrant features such as the man-made lagoon and cogon-thatched cottages.