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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Castro wants Congress to prioritize El Niño mitigation

Castro wants Congress to prioritize El Niño mitigation

Published Feb 29, 2024 10:39 am

At A Glance

  • As El Niño continues to wreak havoc on the country's agriculture sector, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro prodded Congress to shift its efforts to discussing ways to mitigate the devastating heat.

El Niño

(MANILA BULLETIN)

As El Niño continues to wreak havoc on the country's agriculture sector, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro prodded Congress to shift its efforts to discussing ways to mitigate the devastating heat.

Castro questioned the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for its supposed lack of preparations as farmers reported water shortage on their dried-up farmlands.

“Taon-taon itong nangyayari, pero bakit nangyayari pa rin itong [kawalan ng irigasyon]. Dapat taon-taon, mayroon na talaga kayong mga nakahanda. Dapat naka-ready na ang mitigating measures na dapat gawin,” Castro said in a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 29.

(This happens every year, but why is the lack of irrigation still persisting. Every year, you should have something ready. The mitigating measures that must be taken should be ready.)

“Ang Kongreso ito dapat ang asikasuhin sa panahon ng El Niño (Congress should prioritize this during El Niño),” she stressed.

According to the government’s Task Force El Niño, 80 out of the 82 provinces in the country are expected to feel the impact of the El Niño phenomenon. Batanes and Sarangani will be spared from its effects.

During a committee briefing on Wednesday, the NIA and the Department of Agriculture (DA) noted that they have several programs to help farmers cope with El Niño.

Castro said this includes “close coordination with local government units (LGUs), sure loan of P25,000, and sharing of technologies”. However, once asked about the data of the programs’ efficacy, both agencies weren’t able to provide the necessary information, she said.

Fellow Makabayan bloc member Gabriela Women’s Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, meanwhile, said that the primary root of the ongoing drought faced by farmers can't be attributed to El Niño alone.

Citing information from peasant group Amihan, Brosas said dams and irrigation in the country “are prioritized to be profit-oriented for power generation” instead of “water being distributed to farm lands”.

The lawmaker also called on Congress to probe the “billions worth of funding” from the NIA that doesn't appear to be helping local farmers.

“Dapat ilantad kung saan talaga at kanino napupunta ang mga pondo na ito (It should be exposed where exactly and to whom these funds go), ”underscored Brosas.

In its most recent report, the DA said the damage of El Niño has reached P357.4 million in various regions, affecting over 8,000 farmers.

Related Tags

Arlene Brosas agriculture FRANCE CASTRO El Niño
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