QUEZON CITY, April 27 – Local chief executives of Zamboanga’s Bakas municipalities called on the government to implement appropriate El Niño mitigation and adaptation programs.
The Bakas municipalities is an alliance of the poor municipalities of Siayan and Sindangan in Zamboanga del Norte; and Mahayag, Dumingag, Midsalip, and Sominot in Zamboanga del Sur.
“Yes, there is the Roadmap for Addressing the Impact of El Niño (RAIN) but we want a faster response,” said Mayor Flora Villarosa, lead convenor of Bakas and mayor of Siayan, during a meeting with the Special El Niño Task Force this April 19 in Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte.
“We know the coming months will be hotter,” Mayor Villarosa explains. “Worse for us. Already, 40% of our plants—our rice fields, cassavas, fruits, and vegetables and seedling nurseries of our cacao have wilted. No sap can be tapped from our rubber trees. Never mind that we have almost nothing to sell; we need food and water. We need water pumps and cash-for-work programs beyond the 15-day limit for every individual.”
Meeting with the government agencies together with farmers and indigenous peoples’ organizations would help speed up the process of aid and relief. Specific needs would be immediately identified.
The participants also requested the presence of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Philippine Coconut Authority in the Special Task Force because these agencies have programs such as upland greening, and coconut planting and replanting activities that can provide alternative livelihoods to the families of the indigenous peoples in the Zamboanga peninsula who live in upland areas.
Five of the six municipalities were declared under a state of calamity through a joint resolution signed by their respective chief executives this March 8, 2016. The municipality of Mahayag is undergoing a damage assessment before it can be declared under a state of calamity.
The municipalities have been using their calamity funds but the chief executives said their funds are not enough to address the urgent needs of farmers and indigenous peoples.
Member agencies of the Special El Niño Task Force are the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, National Irrigation Administration, Technical Education and Skills Development, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Health, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Department of Science and Technology.
Meanwhile, NEDA said P290 million have been allotted for Region 9 for the implementation of RAIN. (NAPC)
