Zambo Sur town pleads for help for farmers facing losses after flooding

PAGADIAN CITY—-The local government of Tambulig town in Zamboanga del Sur is asking the Department of Agriculture (DA) to help its farmers recover from flooding last Monday (June 15) that damaged their land.

Nilo Muñoz, the town’s disaster risk reduction and management officer, said the local government’s coffers are currently depleted from bankrolling the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The town officials said they hoped the DA can provide the farmers seeds for replanting.

On Monday, some 450 hectares of rice fields in the town’s five villages were submerged in water as the Salug Dako River overflowed due to heavy rains since Sunday (June 14).

Muñoz said at least 200 farmers suffered losses as a result of the flood which damaged some P2.8 million worth of crops.

Muñoz added that the damage estimate was low because the farmers had just planted palay on their farms.

The farmers will have to prepare the land again and replant, and for that, they will require assistance, Muñoz said.

The flooded villages were Balugo, San Vicente, Sagrada Familia, San Jose and Angeles.

Edited by TSB