The city government placed food-producing villages in this capital city into a rapid assessment to expand the number of villages under the state of calamity declaration, a local official said Monday.
Councilor Joel Garganera, chair of the City Council’s committee on disaster risk reduction and management, said local executives are contemplating adding more villages reportedly affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
In a special session last March 28, the Cebu City Council passed a resolution placing 28 villages in this city under a state of calamity in response to the intensifying impact of the dry spell on the vegetable farms in the mountain villages.
At present, the villages of Budlaan, Binaliw, Paril, Taptap, Pulangbato, Guba, Cambinocot, Pamutan, Sirao, Sapangdaku, Sudlon 1, Sudlon 2, Bonbon, Buot, and Tagbao are declared under state of calamity.
“The report of the City Agriculture’s Office said that there are other barangays in the highland areas that are experiencing problems in their agricultural farms. Do we limit the coverage or include those barangays that are also experiencing hardships because of El Niño,” Garganera said.
He said they would call the agriculture office in the city for an executive session to determine how widespread the effect of the dry spell is.
Mayor Michael Rama, for his part, expressed support for the idea of expanding the coverage to include villages that have residents reeling with the effect of the heat environment on the households.
“Last year, I always reminded them to be proactive. I thank the Quick Response Team and the Metro Cebu Water District for their interventions,” Rama said, referring to the water district’s measure to boost water supply by sending tankers to the upland to water plantations hit by the dry spell.
City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office record shows that 506 farmers tilling 155 hectares of agricultural land in the 28 upland villages need urgent intervention.
The city has PHP600 million stored in the city’s calamity and quick response fund and PHP100 million in its local disaster risk reduction and management fund ready to assist distressed farmers in the hinterland. (PNA)