El Niño damage in Cebu City reaches P14.9 million

CEBU, Philippines —  Due to the El Niño phenomenon, damage to agriculture in Cebu City has already reached P14.9 million, based on the records of the City Agriculture Department (CAD).

This was the updated data gathered by the field technicians of CAD as of March 31, 2019.

City Agriculturist Apple Tribunalo said three weeks after their first assessment, the damage has increased to P10.3 million.

In the recent data, the phenomenon has already affected 317 farmers from the 28 upland barangays in Busay, Pulangbato, Budlaan, Binaliw, Mabini, Agsungot, Malubog, Taptap, Adlaon, Guba, Lusaran, Cambinocot, Paril, Sirao, Pamutan, Toong, Sapangdaku, Kalunasan, Buhisan, Pung-ol Sibugay, Babag, Bonbon, Sudlon 1, Sudlon 2, Sinsin, Tagbao, Tabunan, and Buot.

“This afternoon, we will be again furnishing (an) update of the damage assessment kay as of last March 31, we already consolidated about P14.9 million nga damage sa agriculture.  Before that was (just) P4.9 million,” Tribunalo told The FREEMAN yesterday.

Among the affected crops include ampalaya (bitter melon), hot pepper, tomato, eggplant, string beans, yellow corn, baguio beans, sweetcorn, cutflower, lettuce, and among others.

Tribunalo said the current data will be submitted to the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) as their basis for the declaration of the state of calamity for the mountain barangays.

“It’s so alarming na gyud.  Before if I can talk about the cold spell that the mountain barangays experienced, I think that was two years ago… They might or we might recommend (to) the disaster council for declaring the mountain barangays under (a) state of calamity,” Tribunalo said.

Her office, along with other concerned offices such as CCDRRMO, Department of Agriculture, and Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), will meet to discuss the effect of the El Niño to the farmers.

Once the CCDRRMO recommends the declaration of a state of calamity, it will be presented to the City Council for their approval.

“With the input from the city agriculture department of the latest damage assessment, perhaps the disaster council may recommend sa City Council for the declaration of (a) state of calamity,” Tribunalo said.

Due to the millions of pesos of damage to crops, Tribunalo foresees that there might be an increase of prices in the future, considering that the farmers’ production was affected.

“Sa pagkakaron, definitely with this situation nga minus ang produksyon, dili full swing ang ilahang production. Instead of ingon ani ka kilo, gamay nalang due to limited water resource,” she said.

As part of the city government’s immediate assistance to the affected farmers, the CAD will be distributing the 1,200 water drums, 500 hoses, and 150 power sprayers worth P12 million by the end of this month.

The money was sourced from CAD’s approved budget this year.

“Ang supplier, naghinay-hinay na og deliver, dili pa siya kato tanan ang deliver, naghinay-hinay na. Probably, last week of April, we can distribute na those items within sa amoang gi-purchase,” Tribunalo said. — GAN (FREEMAN)