Mlang town in Cotabato placed under state of calamity due to dry spell

KIDAPAWAN City — At total of  28 of 37 villages in the town of Mlang, Cotabato have experienced the effect of the dry spell prompting the Sangguniang Bayan to place the entire town under the state of calamity.

Town Vice Mayor Joselito Pinol said these villages are mainly rain fed while the rest are drawing water from the irrigation canal that already dried up due to severe temperature since the last week of January.

Aside from vast rice and corn fields that wilted due to the high temperature, Pinol said there are also reports that some of the farm animals have been suffering from heat stroke in some far-flung villages.

“I already instructed the disaster officer to conduct validation in order to help our affected farmers,” Pinol stressed.

Pinol said the declaration of state of calamity will pave way for the utilization of the five percent of the total Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the town for assistance to the affected farmers.

Bernardo Tayong, the town Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer in his report submitted to the Sanggunian Bayan disclosed that there are 3, 500 farmers who lost their crops during the first quarter.

Reports have said that a total of 4, 250 hectares of rice and corn fields have no chance of recovery as the agricultural lands became parched due to the scarcity of rains and water supply from the irrigation canals.

The damages for both the rice and corn was pegged at P16 million, Tayong said.

The remaining nine villages that experienced less damage due to the dry spell received assistance from the local government.

Pinol said they gave fuel subsidy and water pumps to farmers whose crops still have a 70 percent chance of recovery.  

“This could be a big help to the farmers in order to have produce despite the effect of the drought,” Pinol said.

The vice mayor also plans to give assistance to at least 10, 000 displaced farm workers.

All affected farmers validated by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to be affected as well by the weather phenomenon will also receive seedlings and fertilizers, which will be given after the dry spell. —LDF, GMA News