El Niño-triggered drought has pushed the Municipal Board of Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro province to pass a resolution declaring the town under a state of calamity. Photo from Facebook
CITY OF CALAPAN — The Sangguniang Bayan (Municipal Board) of Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro province has passed a resolution declaring the town under a state of calamity “due to the severe and prolonged drought that it is experiencing.”
In a post on its social media Thursday, March 7, the local government unit said: “Resolution No. 2024- 548 was unanimously approved by all members of the Sangguniang Bayan during the special session presided by Vice Mayor Shernan F. Gamol” after the municipal disaster risk reduction and management council recommended the declaration.
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“The Municipal Agriculturist Office reported that there are already 740 rice and high value crops farmers affected with 1,096.92 hectares of damaged crop accounting for 60.40 percent damage lowland farming areas, including the 435 hectares of unplanted rice land, resulting to estimated damage cost of approximately P418,348,475.25,” the resolution states.
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The resolution would allow the town’s barangays to utilize 30 percent of their Quick Response Fund (QRF) to help those affected by the dry spell.
Mansalay is neighbor to Bulalacao, which was the first town in the country to declare a state of calamity due to the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon.
The decision of Bulalacao’s officials was reached as drought damaged most of the town’s lands planted for rice and onion.
Bulalacao is coastal town located on the southern tip of Oriental Mindoro province. It is a third-class agricultural town of more than 69,000 people.
Municipal data show that onion is grown in at least 500 ha of land by 575 farmers, while 545 farmers cultivate rice in 539 ha. At least 20.2 ha are for other agricultural products involving 28 farmers.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that as of Feb. 25, the farm sector incurred P357.4 million in losses due to El Niño affecting 7,668 farmers in the regions of Ilocos, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.
It also said that production losses have amounted to about 11,480 metric tons for palay, 2,897 MT for corn, and 225 MT for high-value crops in 6,523 ha in the affected regions.
Earlier, the state weather bureau warned that the drought brought by the “strong and mature” El Niño will persist until May.