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The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced Wednesday that it has awarded 200 million pesos worth of aid to farmers and fishermen in the typhoon-hit Bicol region, particularly Catanduanes, to help victims cope with the devastation.
This unfolded as police and military forces in areas affected and threatened by Typhoon Ulysses mobilized to respond to the disaster as a large area of Luzon, including the Bicol region, still reeling from Typhoon Rolly, prepared to torrential rains and strong winds.
An initial report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that seven stretches of roads and two bridges in Regions 1 and 2 and in the Cordilleras have been affected by floods, landslides and landslides. due to Ulysses, which has affected the north and south. Luzon and Metro Manila on Wednesday.
Agricultural aid
A large part of the interventions, which include rehabilitation of abacá farms, distribution of consanguineous and hybrid rice seeds, provision of fishing boats and motors, among others, went to the municipalities of Bato and Virac, Catanduanes, which took the worst part of Rolly’s fury, according to DA. .
Abaca farmers received P121 million in agricultural rehabilitation interventions through DA’s Philippines Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFida), the DA added.
The abacá is the prized harvest of the Catanduan that generates monthly income worth 150 million pesos for the province, according to Governor Joseph Cua.
According to DA’s latest damage report as of November 10, Rolly affected 39,790 hectares of abaca farms, resulting in a volume loss of 12,918 metric tons (MT) valued at P1.02 billion.
Due to Rolly’s damage to Catanduanes, PhilFida is experiencing a 20-year low abaca production this year, with the province accounting for 30 percent of the country’s annual production. (Related story here: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/11/03/rolly-hits-abaca-hard-20-year-decline-seen/)
DA also provided farmers with P23 million in inbred and hybrid rice seeds, corn seeds, vegetable seeds, as well as urea fertilizer, 4-wheel tractor and other agricultural implements.
Fishermen in the province received P25 million worth of fishing interventions that include boats, motors, nets and other paraphernalia, marine plywood and other boat repair materials.
They also received tilapia fingerlings, canned sardines and other forms of assistance from the Office of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
The DA said the National Food Authority (NFA) has provided 1,000 metric tons, or around 20,000 50-kilogram bags of rice to Catanduanes province, while Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. has allocated P592.4 million in payments of compensation for 32,761 Bicol. farmers.
The DA added that its Agricultural Credit and Policy Council (ACPC) has allocated P100 million in a Survival and Recovery loan program (SURE) for Bicol, which farmers could obtain from P25,000 unsecured, interest-free loans payable in 10 years.
Likewise, the Office of the Presidency has granted financial aid to the province worth 10 million pesos, as well as hundreds of masks, shields, medicine boxes and dozens of bicycles and computer tables, according to the DA.
The initial estimate of agricultural damage in Bicol due to Typhoon Rolly amounts to more than P3 billion, said DA Bicol regional director Rodel Tornilla.
Work, school suspension
On the recommendation of the NDRRMC, Malacañang also suspended work in schools and government offices from 3 pm Wednesday to Thursday in Regions 2, 3, 4A and 4B and in the Administrative Region of Cordillera and Metro Manila, still due to the typhoon. that struck Luzon, just 10 days after Rolly struck the Bicol region.
The NDRRMC issued sustained warnings about the effects of the typhoon as the provinces of Albay and Catanduanes are barely coping with the massive destruction wrought by Rolly.
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Gilbert Gapay, ordered all forces in the areas affected by Ulysses to remain on high alert and stand ready to provide assistance as needed, in coordination with local officials and the NDRRMC.
“Staff and equipment from the South Luzon Command, the North Luzon Command and the JTF National Capital Region down to the battalion level are already pre-located in safe locations,” Gapay said.
“Search and rescue units with mobility resources are also working around the clock to evacuate those who are still in low-lying areas,” he said.
The Navy’s Naval Forces North Luzon (NFNL) also alerted all units and Disaster Response and Rescue Teams (DRRT) and ensured the availability of their assets and equipment for disaster operations.
“Essential equipment such as M35 and KM450 trucks, rubber boats with outboard motors, generators, cutting tools and salvage equipment were inventoried to ensure a high level of response,” it said in a statement.
The newly installed head of the Philippine National Police, Gen. Debold Sinas, also put PNP units, especially throughout southern Luzon, on alert for typhoon response operations.
