SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro (PIA) -- President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. led the distribution of various government interventions benefiting more than 2,000 individuals in the municipality of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, on April 23.

In his address, President Marcos Jr. said that reports on the severe effects of El Niño in the province prompted him to visit the province. Consequently, he conducted an ocular inspection of one of the affected farmlands in the municipality of Brgy. Central before the event.

“Maganda na nakabalik ako rito dahil nakakatanggap ako ng mga report ay talagang malakas ang tama ng El Nino dito sa lalawigan ninyo at ‘yung pinanggalingan nga namin (Brgy. Central) ay talagang nakita naming na talagang tuyong-tuyo,” he said.

[It is good that I can visit here again because I have been receiving reports that the effects of El Niño here in the province are extreme and from where we were earlier in Barangay Central, we have seen that farmlands are arid.]

The Department of Agriculture (DA) awarded two units of combined rice harvesters and four-wheel drive tractors from the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), seven units of fishing boats, seven units of fish aggregating devices, eight units of marine engine, a chest freezer with containers, and 35 sets of gill nets from the Bureau of Fishes and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), DA – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) was also given to beneficiaries.

Additionally, the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) awarded solar pump irrigation and communal irrigation projects to irrigation associations in the province.

Edwin Estoesta, a farmer from Barangay Gapasan, Magsaysay expressed his gratitude upon receiving financial aid from DSWD AICS.

“Ipambibili ko po ng bigas [itong natanggap kong pera]…Kasi po wala kaming naani, natuyot talaga wala kaming napagkunan ng tubig. Kahit kaunti po naibsan ang aming kalungkutan [dahil sa natanggap na ayuda],” Estoesta shared.

[I will use the money I received to buy rice. We were not able to harvest anything because our land dried up and we did not have any source of water. We were consoled through the intervention we received.]

To mitigate the effects of the dry spell, the president is planning to construct a dam to supplement irrigation for the municipalities of San Jose to Magsaysay. He emphasized that even with complete agricultural inputs, the farmers’ yield will be negatively affected without enough irrigation.

“Marami po tayong pinaplano, mayroon po tayong pinaplano ngayon na dam na ilalagay para ma-cover-an hanggang San Jose, Magsaysay at mapapatubigan na para naman kahit mahina ang ulan ay mayroon pa tayong mapagkukuhanan ng tubig,” Marcos said.

[We have many plans, we have a plan to construct a dam to cover San Jose and Magsaysay to be able to supply irrigation despite having small amounts of water from rain.]

President Marcos Jr. assured the public that the government would not stop providing services to the public to ensure that everyone receives the help they need and achieves food security.

“Huwag po kayong mag-alala, hindi po kami nagsasawa na magserbisyo. Kami po patuloy, kahit po pag-alis namin dito, tuloy pa rin ang pag-monitor namin para tiyakin na wala namang maiwanan. Siguro alam na ninyo, ang aking pangarap para sa administrasyon na ito ay wala nang gutom.” [Do not worry, we will not stop providing services. We will continue, even after we leave, to monitor to ensure that no one gets left behind. You probably already know that my aspiration for this administration is that no one is hungry.] (DSG/PIA MIMAROPA - Occidental Mindoro)