Capiz declares state of calamity due to El Niño

INQUIRER FILES

ILOILO CITY — The Capiz provincial government has declared a state of calamity over the province due to the damage caused by the El Niño phenomenon, mainly to their agricultural industry that reached more than P370 million.

In a special session on May 24, the provincial board approved the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) to place the province under a state of calamity.

Based on the assessment by the Provincial Agriculturist’s Office, the hot weather has damaged crops worth P379,085,043.01, affecting 7,930 farmers who were tending 8,523.35 hectares in 17 municipalities.

Five towns have made their own declarations of state of calamity –Tapaz, Panay, Pontevedra, Maayon, and Dumarao.

READ: El Niño losses in W. Visayas at P761M; still no calamity declaration

With the declaration of a state of calamity, procurement can be processed with urgency to ensure that interventions are in place, especially for affected farmers.

Local governments can also mobilize their 30-percent quick response funds.

The province has been experiencing drought with rainfall still below normal.

A dry spell is three consecutive months of below normal rainfall conditions.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has projected that El Niño will continue until May or June.

The weather bureau said a drought could adversely affect different climate-sensitive sectors, including water resources, agriculture, energy, and health.