SOME 131 local government units (LGU) have declared a state of calamity as the country grapples with the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
Task Force El Niño spokesperson and Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama said the LGUs currently under a state of calamity include Occidental Mindoro, Antique, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao Del Norte, and South Cotabato.
“Kalat kalat po iyan sa buong Pilipinas (These LGUs are all over the country),” he told reporters in an interview at Malacañang Palace.
Citing data from the Department of Agriculture, Villarama said El Niño has so far caused PHP4.39 billion worth of damage to 77,731 hectares of agricultural lands.
But he said the effects of El Niño this year, in terms of agricultural damage, is still lower compared to the worst El Niño year in history in 1997, wherein 667,000 hectares of land were damaged.
“So if you compare it 77,000, maliit pa po dahil po sa measures na ipinatupad po ng gobyerno before the onset of El Niño (it is still lower because of the mitigation measures of the government before the onset of El Niño),” Villarama said. (PNA)
