Author: ASEAN Tribune

LEGAZPI CITY: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provided almost PHP20 million worth of assistance to families affected by the El Niño phenomenon in three provinces of the Bicol Region for the past two weeks.

In an interview on Friday, Claudio Villareal Jr., DSWD-Bicol disaster response and management division chief, said they continue to send augmentation support to affected local government units (LGUs) through family food packs (FFPs).

“The El-Niño phenomenon being experienced in the region already caused agricultural damage and adverse effects in 31 towns and cities in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon and Masbate,” he said.

Villareal said 28,851 FFPs were distributed from April 20 to date in Albay, Camarines Sur, and Masbate, while Sorsogon will pick up the assistance from warehouses.

Each pack contains rice, corned beef, sardines, coffee, and cereal drinks, enough to feed a family of five for at least two days.

Villareal also said DSWD-Bicol has stockpiles and sta
ndby funds amounting to PHP208 million for augmentation and distribution.

“We continue coordinating with the LGUs that have not yet submitted their letter requests (for assistance). For those LGUs that have submitted their requests, ongoing validation and assessment are being conducted, ” he said.

Based on the Department of Agriculture-Bicol report, a total of 11,252 hectares of land planted with rice, corn, and high-value crops have been affected by the dry spell, equivalent to PHP532.8 million total production loss.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MALAYBALAY CITY: Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Ziaur-Rahman Alonto-Adiong has expressed support for civilian groups in asserting the West Philippine Sea (WPS) territories.

In a statement on Friday, Adiong said even ordinary citizens have bravely shown their nationalism by upholding the WPS as part of the Philippine territory.

“This shows that the ordinary civilian, especially the ordinary fisherfolk, supports this administration and the President in pushing for our rights,” he said.

Adiong said it is the civic duty of every Filipino who loves this country to support the administration’s push for our rights over the WPS, citing its rights based on the adjudicated Arbitral Tribunal favoring the Philippines.

Earlier this week, a fleet of primarily small boats under a civilian coalition, “Atin Ito,” traveled to deliver fuel and food packs to Filipino fisherfolk at the Bajo de Masinloc in the WPS area.

“We are moved by the actions of these ordinary Filipinos and wish them a safe journey,” Adiong said.

Mara
wi siege commemoration

Meanwhile, Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has expressed her solidarity in commemorating the seventh anniversary of the Marawi City siege on May 23.

“Seven years after the Battle of Marawi, we remember the lives lost, the sacrifices, and the monumental challenges faced during the harrowing ordeal. We honor the bravery of our soldiers, the perseverance of our displaced families, and the unwavering spirit of the Marawi people,” she said in a statement on Friday.

Pangandaman said the 2024 General Appropriations Act has allocated PHP1 billion for the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Fund to compensate for lost structures, personal properties, and families of those who perished during the conflict.

“Other development partners and local bodies, including a Special Committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), have played crucial roles in recovery efforts,” she said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) can assume the power to intervene in the local rice market if lawmakers have doubts about the National Food Authority (NFA), its OIC Administrator Larry Lacson said Friday.

This, after senators called on DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Larel Jr. to assume the task during a public hearing of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization on Tuesday.

“Naiiintindihan nating mabuti ‘yan kasi hindi naman namin pwedeng ipagkaila na may experiences in the past na mayroong mga nanamantala or nagkaroon ng kaunting kalokohan. So, kaya hindi natin sila masisisi (We understand that because we cannot deny that there were experiences in the past when people took advantage or were engaged in some mischief. So, we can’t blame them),” Lacson said during the Bagong Pilipinas public forum.

Giving the DA the authority will somehow give the government the ability to intervene in the local market in case there are unusual spikes in rice prices, he added.

“Sa ngayon kasi, tingin natin at ‘yun ang nangyayari, wala tayong magawa. Parang nakatali ang kamay ng gobyerno ‘pag may mga kundisyon na ganito, which is not really good for the whole country kasi prone ‘yun sa pananamantala (Because right now, we think that’s what’s happening and we can’t do anything. The government’s hands are tied when there are conditions like this, which is not really good for the whole country because it is prone to exploitation),” Lacson said.

The doubts from senators stemmed from the alleged anomalous sale of NFA rice to select traders at a low price, and without public bidding or authorization from the NFA Council.

Lacson said he is currently pushing for reforms within NFA and assured that he will do his best to eradicate corruption in the agency.

Source: Philippines News Agency

DUMAGUETE CITY: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Friday distributed PHP16 million to students, teachers and other sectors in Negros Oriental under the Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.

The target beneficiaries included 2,000 members of Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs) and 2,000 students of Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) here, according to John Michael Rollorata, alternate Social Welfare and Development team leader of DSWD-Region 7 (Central Visayas).

‘The PTA members will be given PHP3,000 each while the students will receive PHP 5,000 each in outright cash,’ Rollorata said in an interview.

The payout for the PTA members, some of them senior citizens or with disabilities and special needs, was held at Macias Sports Center here.

The assistance distribution for students was held at the NORSU main campus in this capital city.

Retired teacher Raymunda Visagas, 61, from Barangay Pantao in Mabinay town expressed gratitude to the government
for the AICS, saying it was ‘unexpected’ because being a PTA officer is voluntary and without compensation.

Visagas said it was the first time that she received government financial assistance.

‘We are thankful to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. because in the past, we have never experienced this, and many do not want to be part of the PTA since it is voluntary and can be an added burden to them,’ she said in the vernacular.

Gomer Areglado, president of the Dr. Ernesto Uy National High School PTA in Barangay Lumbangan, Mabinay, hopes that the government will continue to provide assistance to parents so they can keep sending their children to school.

Areglado, 57, a retired employee of a private company, said the financial assistance will go a long way in helping them over in their day-to-day activities.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The easterlies will continue to bring warm weather with possible isolated rains or thunderstorms in most parts of the country, the weather bureau said Friday.

However, the shear line affecting extreme Northern Luzon will bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over Batanes, Cagayan, and Isabela, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

The northern and western sections of Northern Luzon will have moderate to strong winds and moderate to rough seas, while the rest of the archipelago will have light to moderate winds and slight to moderate seas.

Meanwhile, PAGASA warned of dangerous heat index levels in 37 areas, with the highest at 45°C expected in Dagupan City, Pangasinan; Sangley Point, Cavite; San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; and Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur.

The following areas may experience a dangerous heat index ranging from 42°C to 44°C:

NAIA Pasay City, Metro Manila – 43°C

Science Garden Quezon City, Metro
Manila – 42°C

Sinait, Ilocos Sur – 43°C

Laoag City, Ilocos Norte – 42°C

MMSU, Batac, Ilocos Norte – 42°C

Bacnotan, La Union – 44°C

Aparri, Cagayan – 42°C

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan – 42°C

ISU Echague, Isabela – 43°C

Iba, Zambales – 42°C

Clark Airport (DMIA), Pampanga – 43°C

CLSU Muñoz, Nueva Ecija – 42°C

Baler (Radar), Aurora – 43°

Casiguran, Aurora – 42°C

Ambulong. Tanauan, Batangas – 42°C

Infanta, Quezon – 42°C

Alabat, Quezon – 42°C

Puerto Princesa City, Palawan – 43°C

Cuyo, Palawan – 43°C

Daet, Camarines Norte – 42°C

Virac (Synop), Catanduanes – 43°C

Masbate City, Masbate – 42°C

CBSUA-Pili, Camarines Sur – 42°C

Roxas City Capiz – 44°C

Iloilo City, Iloilo – 44°C

Dumangas, Iloilo – 44°C

Catarman, Northern Samar – 42°C

Catbalogan, Samar – 42°C

Guiuan, Eastern Samar – 43°C

Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte – 44°C

Davao City, Davao del Sur – 42°C

Cotabato City, Maguindanao – 42°C

Butuan City, Agusan del Norte – 42°C

PAGASA advised the public to limit the time spent outdoors, especially
at noon, and drink plenty of water.

People going outdoors are reminded to use umbrellas, or wear hats and sleeved clothing.

Source: Philippines News Agency

LEGAZPI CITY: A total of 1,008 farmers from the 13 villages of this city received free seedlings from the government on Friday, the City Agriculture Office (CAO) said.

In an interview, CAO chief Sheila Nas said the distribution of seedlings held at the CAO building in Barangay Gogon started on May 6 and will last until May 24.

The recipients are those who are registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), she noted.

‘The distribution materialized when the CAO received 700 bags of National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) and 500 bags of certified inbred seeds from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEF) of the Department of Agriculture (DA). The palay seedlings would be planted in their rice fields, with each beneficiary with one hectare receiving 40 kilos of seedlings,’ Nas added.

She said the CAO distributes free palay seedlings and fertilizers twice a year to help the farmers as a regular city government progra
m.

Nas said the NSIC 222 seedlings given to the farmers could grow in the wet and dry seasons, and it is also applicable to plant in the two consecutive cropping cycles that will produce a good quality harvest of whole grain rice.

‘Majority of the farmers were interested in the inbred certified seedlings as their planting materials because of their less consumption of fertilizers but with a very good quality of palay harvest while the hybrid palay seedlings have a very high consumption of fertilizers and sometimes have broken grains,’ she added.

Source: Philippines News Agency