?It would have been the first rain shower, but sadly, no rain fell,? Acosta said.

His four-hectare farm would have yielded 20 tons of corn by now. Alas, it has become a government statistic on crop damage in Isabela, the worst-hit by the dry spell among 14 provinces nationwide.

The drought?one of the signs of an erratic weather disturbance called El Niño?has inflicted more than P2.84 billion in total damage to palay, corn and high-value crops, the Department of Agriculture?s Central Action Center (Dacac) reported on Tuesday.

The figure was more than double last week?s estimate of P1.4 billion, according to Marites Bernardo, Dacac chief.

Currently reeling from El Niño are Isabela, Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Masbate, Antique, Guimaras and Negros Occidental.

More losses in corn farms

On Tuesday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conceded that the two major problems that could arise from El Niño were a food shortage and diminished farm income.

?The NFA (National Food Authority) has already approved a general rice importation. But (Agriculture Secretary) Arthur Yap says the food supply is not going to be affected. It?s more the farmers? income,? she told reporters in Davao City.

Nationwide, Dacac reported that the corn sector suffered more losses in terms of volume and value, compared with the rice sector. It said extreme heat had dried up 122,748 hectares of corn fields and ruined 144,359 tons of corn valued at P1.88 billion.

A total of 35,360 hectares of rice fields have been damaged, resulting in 56,696 tons of unhusked rice (palay) lost, which was valued at P963.84 million, Dacac said.

Damage to fruits and vegetables was placed at P1.39 million.

Isabela has lost corn and rice crops valued at P1.3 billion and P525 million, respectively. A combined figure of 101,609 tons of corn were damaged in 72,157 has of land, and 144,359 tons of palay in 87,850 has.

Alternative livelihood

Malacañang Thursday advised Agriculture Secretary Yap, who also heads the Task Force El Niño, to look for other means of livelihood for farmers affected by the drought.

?We want to pay attention to the livelihood. Farmers who can?t plant should be given a new source of livelihood. That?s a major concern for the task force,? Secretary Ricardo Saludo said.

Saludo, deputy presidential spokesperson, appealed to the farmers and the public not to panic because the agriculture department had already undertaken measures to address El Niño, including a shift to alternative crops, installation of shallow tube wells, and cloud-seeding.

?If we work together, we can overcome this. We should conserve water. If we engage in panic-buying, we?ll be creating more problems,? he said. ?We?ve faced El Niño before, even worse in years past, and we?ve been able to get through it.?

Ms Arroyo has tapped the Armed Forces National Capital Region (AFP NCR) Command to help in plugging leaks in Metro Manila.

?A lot of work is being done to plug leaks. Even the AFP NCR Command is helping plug leaks. The NDCC (National Disaster Coordinating Council) is headed by the defense chief, and El Niño is considered a calamity,? she said in Davao City.

Water resources

Ms Arroyo has issued Administrative Order No. 278 directing government departments and agencies to undertake urgent measures to ensure the optimum use of water resources in Metro Manila.

She ordered the Philippine National Police to assist the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and the water concessionaires in enforcing anti-pilferage measures.

She instructed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to appropriately reduce water allocation and releases to the MWSS and the National Irrigation Authority.

The President directed the agriculture department to terminate or schedule land-soaking activities of the Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System to make full use of available water for irrigation.

?All government agencies and instrumentalities shall assign water marshals and shall undertake water conservation and assessment program, using as reference point, water consumption in January 2010,? Ms Arroyo said in the order.

Food aid, emergency jobs

A shortfall in water supply in Metro Manila is expected during the first quarter as an offshoot of El Niño.

Yap said the department?s regional field units (RFUs) and the local government units had already been drawing up master lists of farmers eligible for food aid under the Emergency Food Assistance Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Separate lists are being prepared for those qualified to enroll in skills training programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for possible emergency employment, such as the construction or repair of farm-to-market roads and irrigation facilities, he said. With a report from TJ Burgonio