TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte (PIA) — The dry spell El Niño may not have greatly affected the province of Davao del Norte but President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr reveals the interventions of his administration to address the adverse impact of the long dry spell, especially in Davao Region.
Speaking to the Dabaonons, the President shared information that 1,000 families in six barangays in Davao Region have been severely affected by the long dry spell and that affected farmers and fisherfolks were losing P50 million.
“Wala nang mas bibigat pa sa pakiramdam na masaksihan na unti-unting namamatay ang mga pananim, o natutuyuan ang mga palaisdaan dahil sa matinding tag-araw,” he said.
[There is no greater cause of a heavy heart than either to witness our farms slowly dying, or the fishponds getting dry due to the long dry spell]
“Kaya po ay hindi po namin kayo pababayaan. Kayo po ang sandigan ng ating bayan sa pag-unlad kung kaya’t hindi kami titigil sa pag- agapay sa inyong lahat,” he said before leading the distribution of assistance to farmers and fisherfolks.
[That’s why we cannot just leave you alone. The nation is leaning on you for progress hence, we won’t stop assisting you.]
He assured them of the united efforts of the national and local governments to deliver the needed assistance and services to affected farmers and fisherfolks.
He enumerated the services and assistance that he was bringing along, starting with the Office of House Speaker Martin Romualdez which he said, was distributing packs of rice to beneficiaries present during the event.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had prepared 19,000 food packs worth P15 million.
The President handed over P10 million to each of the local chief executives of the Provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, and Davao Oriental for their respective small farmers and fisherfolks.
In a separate message, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that DA hauled today some P155 million-worth of various assistance for farmers and fisherfolks.
Aside from assistance in cash and in cheque, others were farm units such as floating tillers, walk-behind transplanters, harvesters, four-wheel tractors, and fishing boats.
Among other agricultural services, the President mentioned the distribution of goats and the corresponding means of growing them.
“Para naman sa ating mga mangingisda, at itu-turnover po natin ang tatlumpung unit ng bangkang gagamitin sa pangingisda, ang FB Pagbabago Boats,” he said.
[For our fisherfolks, we are turning over 30 units of fishing boats, the FB Pagbabago Boats]
He had directed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), to improve fish production through aquaculture production and mangrove planting.
He cited these fish production initiatives as part of the P60 million allocated budget for the distribution of assistance to farmers and fisherfolk “so we can again rise from the ruins caused by the El Niño.”
Part of government efforts to assist farmers and fisherfolks badly hit by El Nino are the financial and technical support, and some relative programs of the departments of Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Labor and Employment, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the President explained. (RVC/JDA/PIA-Davao)
