Set up El Niño fund for farmers – Villar

MANILA, Philippines — To cushion the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on farmers, Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar is pushing for the establishment of an assistance fund for them in the form of loans, direct cash aid or cash-for-work.

In a statement, Villar said having a fund readily available for farmers could soften the possible impact on farmers of the intense weather conditions associated with El Niño.

“We need to be better prepared and ready to extend assistance to farmers whose livelihoods are at risk so that they can have some sort of safety net or social protection either in the form of loans, direct cash assistance or cash-for-work,” she explained.

“It is important to discuss this now and prepare for contingency measures, especially for our small-scale farmers,” she noted.

Villar recalled that the onslaught of El Niño in the country in 2019 resulted in some P8-billion damage to the agriculture sector.

Earlier, Villar filed House Resolution 1024, directing the House committees on agriculture and food and on energy to look into “possible government intervention in the light of impending return of El Niño” this year.

“Previous experience from El Niño phenomenon points to a decline in agricultural output, affecting the farming and fishing subsectors due to prolonged drought, affecting the livelihood in the agricultural sector and threatening food security,” she said.

Villar added that aside from agriculture, water resources, power generation, health and sanitation and other sectors are likely to be severely affected by the El Niño. — Victor Martin