By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive on all government agencies to expedite aid and rehabilitation efforts to Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-Wong) affected areas, the Department of Agriculture (D.A.) has prepositioned various forms of assistance to affected farmers and fisherfolk.
In a press release on Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. noted the findings of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation’s (PCIC) rapid assessment of insured farms from Region IV-A and IV-B through Caraga from November 4 to 7.
The assessment found that 32,247 insured farmers were affected by the storm. Nearly one-third of the affected farmers, or 10,352 individuals, came from Region VIII (Eastern Visayas), which includes the provinces of Biliran, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte.
Agricultural damages were pegged at P56.7 million for rice, P42.3 million for corn, and P74.3 million for high-value crops.
In a bid to facilitate agricultural recovery efforts, the following interventions were earmarked by the D.A., according to the agency’s disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) operations center:
- P379.31 million worth of farm inputs (rice, corn, and high-value crops)
- P1.24 million worth of animal feeds and supplements for livestock and poultry
- P771.62K worth of bangus and tilapia fingerlings
- P2.57 million bags of rice stocks from the National Food Authority (NFA) for issuance to LGUs and other relief agencies
- Quick Response Fund (QRF) for rehabilitation and recovery of affected areas
- Up to P25,000 loanable amount from the Survival and Recovery (SURE) loan program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), payable in 3 years at 0% interest
- Indemnification of insured affected farmers through the PCIC
Secretary Tiu-Laurel said in a statement, “President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is doing everything to ease the burden of Tino’s victims, especially our farmers and fisherfolk.”
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