In Central Luzon, El Niño-hit farmers, fishers get P313 million aid

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday distributed P313.6 million worth of assistance to Central Luzon farmers and fishermen who suffered from the dry spell and drought brought about by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Over 4,000 farmers and fishermen reported incurring P64 million in losses, the President said in a speech at Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in this Pampanga capital.

Of the P313.6 million in aid, P100 million from the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk and Families-Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development was given in checks to seven provincial governments in the rice-producing region.

READ: El Niño-hit Calabarzon folk receive aid

In Pampanga’s case, the President handed P10,000 each to 10,000 farmers in the province, while the provincial government distributed food packs consisting of 5 kilos of rice and canned goods to them.

The Department of Agriculture extended P205.9 million worth of farm machinery, tools, fertilizer discount vouchers, and fuel subsidies, while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority provided P3.3 million in organic agricultural production tool kits, training, and scholarships.

A livelihood support worth P705,000 was distributed by the Department of Labor and Employment, and P3.7 million in fishing equipment, boats, fish vending equipment, and smoked fish production packages was given by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo thanked Mr. Marcos for supporting irrigation development, saying the region’s 160-percent rice sufficiency benefits Metro Manila.

Bracing for floods

Mr. Marcos said that around P183.41 million worth of relief supplies were already in place in Central Luzon as part of the government’s efforts to brace for the impact of La Niña’s rains on the region.

“We know that after the extreme drought, strong rains and floods will be coming in the next few months. This is why we are preparing for the onset of heavy rains,” he said.

Mr. Marcos made a similar reassurance in Baler, Aurora, earlier in the day: “Now that the rainy season is coming, the government is ready for whatever effect that it may bring.”

Of the P183.41 million relief supplies, P155.2 million is for 204,577 food packs, P23.1 million for nonfood items, and P5 million in standby funds.

READ: Agriculture losses due to El Niño hit P4B

“Although we pray that the rains and floods will not bring too much devastation, we have already set aside P5 million in standby funds for your region should you need it,” Mr. Marcos said.

He also assured residents of Central Luzon, considered to be the country’s food basket, that flood control measures are already in place to minimize floods in low-lying areas.

The President said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) already completed its Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in low-lying areas in Pampanga.

“This aims to improve drainage systems and waterways like rivers, especially in times of heavy rains. The DPWH also completed two projects in Lubao and Floridablanca to ensure that your farms are safe from landslides,” he said.