An aerial view of the Buhisan Dam taken on March 11, 2019, as the dry spell brought on by the El Niño weather phenomenon takes a toll on crops, fish farms and water supply in Cebu. | CDND Photo/Tonee Despojo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) is set to recommend to the Cebu City Council the declaration of a city-wide state of calamity as total damage to crops and farmlands reached P15 million.
Disaster Office Operations Chief Wesley Vincent Yñigo said the P15 million is the total amount damage caused by the dry spell in the 28 mountain barangays of Cebu City.
Cebu City has a total of 80 barangays.
Yñigo said they are now in the final stage of data gathering to identify the total damages of the El Niño weather phenomenon, including the 52 barangays under Cebu City.
He said they will need data from the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) on the number of artesian wells they have in the city as well as the specific gap between demand and supply of water.
Yñigo said they need to establish that the rest of the city was affected by the dry spell since they only have data of the damages in the mountain barangays.
“The state of calamity is for the entire city, not only the mountain barangays,” said Yñigo.
The CDRRMO convened on Monday afternoon with Councilor Dave Tumulak, the deputy mayor on police matters and public order.
When the reports are in order, Tumulak said he will ask Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, presiding officer of the council, for a special session for the declaration of the state of calamity.
Labella said he will immediately discuss the matter with the council members once he receives the report from the CDRRMO.
Once a state of calamity is declared in Cebu City, the City Agriculture Department (CAD) will be able to tap the disaster funds of at least P15 million to help the upland farmers, whose farmlands and crops have been damaged by the dry spell.
Yñigo hopes that the state of calamity will be declared soon as Cebu City will need the additional funds to aid farmers and other individuals, whose means of livelihood are affected by the dry spell. / celr