Imee Marcos calls for ‘urgent’ probe into El Niño’s ill-effects

Senator Imee Marcos answers query from the members of the Senate media during a press conference on March 6, 2024 at the Senate of the Philippine office. INQUIRER.net file photo / NOY MORCOSO

TACLOBAN CITY – Senator Imee Marcos is calling for an “urgent investigation” into the Senate on the government’s preparations for the El Niño phenomenon considering its adverse impacts, particularly on agriculture.

The senator, who was here last Saturday to attend a gathering of the Commission on Higher Education’s scholarship program, said there is a need to address the concerns of those in the agriculture and fisherfolk sectors as they were hard-hit by the dry spell.

“We will convene on Monday and I will request an urgent investigation into the government’s El Niño plans because the impact on us is too severe. It’s really serious,” Marcos said.

According to the senator, because of the dry spell, those in the agriculture and fishing sectors were badly affected.

“I think we have to hasten the giving of assistance to them. The Department of Agriculture (DA) is supposed to be giving P5,000 to the rice farmers. There is a subsidy for transport of P3,000 for our fisherfolks,” said Marcos, the sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

According to her, the farmers and fishermen have been waiting for their stipend or financial assistance from the government due to the destruction of their crops in the aftermath of the El Niño phenomenon.

“I think a lot of rice farmers, for example, are still waiting for their stipends because so much of their crops have been destroyed. It’s really heartbreaking,” she said.

The DA earlier reported that due to the prolonged dry spell, losses to the agriculture sector have already exceeded P4 billion, prompting several affected local governments to declare a state of calamity.

READ: Agriculture losses due to El Niño hit P4B

Asked if she finds the performance of Agriculture Sec. Francisco Laurel Jr. wanting amid the situation, Marcos said “He is very new (to the post).”

Laurel was appointed as DA chief in November last year, succeeding the President who held the same portfolio after he assumed the presidency.

Marcos, meanwhile, chided the government for resorting to importation every time there was a shortage of supplies.

“It has been our reaction to import whenever we encounter problems. The problem is prices in the market do not go down. So there seems to be some disconnect in the supply chain,” she said.

The government, she added, must provide more assistance to local farmers and help them increase their yield and income.