Oriental Mindoro town declares state of calamity

The local government of Bulalacao, the southernmost town of Oriental Mindoro, has declared a state of calamity due to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon to its agriculture.

Bulalacao Mayor Ernilo Villas announced the declaration on Tuesday, February 27, based on the recommendation of the Municipal Agriculturist Office (MAO) and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).

In a telephone interview with Bulalacao agriculture officer Rommel de Guzman on Tuesday, he said that out of the 539 hectares of farmland planted with palay (unmilled rice), 325 hectares had already dried up because of the drought.

This, he said, forced farmers to feed the palay to carabaos.

He added that for each hectare of land, a farmer can harvest at least P50,000 worth of palay.

“The loss could reach P16.250 million,” de Guzman said.

“While our onions which comprise 550 hectares, 335 hectares are affected. With each hectare, the projected harvest is P200,000 … that is roughly P67 million in losses.”

The official said that with the declaration, the local government can use the 5 percent mandatory calamity fund.

Farmers, meanwhile, can also file a claim with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) while waiting for the recommendation of the local government on what assistance should be extended to the farmers coming from the calamity fund.

“We would have an executive session this week with the mayor and other stakeholders to determine what kind of assistance the LGU would extend. Would it be financial or in kind like food packs,” de Guzman added.

The southern part of the province has experienced extreme heat this year. Most of the famers in the towns of Roxas, Mansalay and Bulalacao have switched to less water-dependent crops like onions, monggo beans and ginger.

Still, de Guzman said, these crops still require some amount of water.