Marcos promises aid to El Niño-hit areas

Rice remains sufficient despite the drought in some areas, President Marcos said yesterday as he vowed to continue providing aid to sectors hit by El Niño.

-  ALEXIS ROMERO

Marcos directed agencies to coordinate closely with local government units to ensure swift distribution of assistance.

The President visited Occidental Mindoro yesterday to assess the situation in areas affected by El Niño and discussed ways to mitigate the effects of the weather phenomenon.

Marcos inspected the extent of damage in onion and rice plantations in San Jose town before attending the launch of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair and Kadiwa ng Pangulo.

The event sought to improve access to key government services and lower prices of commodities.

Marcos presided over a situation briefing on the effects of El Niño, which was attended by Cabinet officials and local executives. Occidental Mindoro Vice Gov. Diana Tayag said the province is under a state of calamity.

Tayag said 67 percent of the province's land area with standing crops were affected by the drought, 20 percent of which had been completely devastated.

She said the local agriculture sector incurred losses amounting to P900 million, adding that since it is dry season, most of the farms were planted with onions, which suffered damage amounting to almost P300 million.

The amount of palay damaged by the extreme weather phenomenon has reached more than P200 million, Tayag said.

"There were people who committed suicide after incurring heavy losses," she added.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government has undertaken P1.13 billion worth of interventions to assist the affected sectors.