A child checks on the water level of a well in a mountain baranagy of Borbon town, northern Cebu. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government is set to purchase at least P29-million worth of response items for El Niño-affected communities in Cebu province.
Julius Regner, information officer of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said the response item include water storage equipment, rice and canned goods for the food packs and agri-veterinary items which will be given to farmers’ organizations in the affected communities.
Read more: El Niño Phenomenon: Cebu province under state of calamity
PDRRMO will shoulder the P9 million worth of food relief packs and water storage materials while the remaining P20 million will be from the Provincial Agriculture Office and Provincial Veterinary Office, which will be used for the purchase and delivery of fertilizers and vitamins for the livestocks.
Regner said they have given local DRRM officers of the different municipalities until Wednesday noon, April 10, 2019, to submit their updated assessment on the damage of the looming weak El Niño in their towns.
Read more: Drought hits 80 hectares of farmlands in Central Visayas, says DA-7 exec
“We gave them until Wednesday, 12 noon, to give in their assessment on the damage in their respective LGUs. Their assessment will serve as our basis for our intervention efforts and the areas that we will prioritize,” Regner said.
Due to the ban on fund disbursement because of the campaign season, PDRRMO has also coordinated with the Philippine Red Cross and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) to ensure that the distribution of the relief items to the communities will not be politicized.
Read more: El Niño has affected crops in 7 towns, 2 cities of Cebu; fish kill cases on the rise
In the most recent El Niño situation report of the PDRRMO issued last April 3, 2019, at least 26 local government units have reported damages in their crops and scarcity in water supply. Six local government units have also declared a state of calamity because of the effect of the dry spell.
An increase in reported dengue cases were also noted in the towns of Tabuelan and San Remigio in the onset of the dry season. /bmjo