103 areas under state of calamity due to heat

A total of 103 cities and towns have been placed under a state of calamity because of El Niño, while the number of persons affected by the weather phenomenon has reached 2.1 million, according to Task Force El Niño spokesman and Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama.

- ALEXIS ROMERO

Villarama said that among the affected areas are the provinces of Antique, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan, Maguindanao del Sur and Occidental Mindoro, which was visited by President Marcos last Tuesday.

"As of this morning, based on the data of OCD (Office of Civil Defense), 103 cities and municipalities (have declared a state of calamity)," Villarama said at a public briefing aired over state-run People's Television yesterday.

'Actually, the President mentioned yesterday that almost the entire Philippines is affected. But again, in varying degrees, so the government is focused on providing assistance, depending on the needs of each province," he added.

A state of calamity declaration will allow a local government to use its funds to mitigate the impact of El Niño.

Citing data from the social welfare department, Villarama said 2,116,420 people, including farmers, fisherfolk and their dependents, have been affected by El Niño, which is expected to persist until May or June.

The amount of damage caused by El Niño to the agriculture sector has risen to P3.94 billion, which is equivalent to 66,000 hectares.

However, 78 percent of the affected farmlands may still recover,Villarama said.

"By end of May, we hope that the impact of El Niño will dissipate or become less but our appeal to conserve our resources like power and water remains," he added.

During his visit to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro last Tuesday, Marcos gave assurance that the government would continue providing assistance to communities and sectors hit by El Niño.

He said the country's rice supply remains sufficient despite the drought and dry spell.

48 C heat index

The heat index in Aparri, Cagayan climbed to a sweltering 48 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, marking the hottest heat index logged so far this year.