Fishers appeal for aid after P587 million worth of livelihood destroyed by 'Ursula'

PANGASINAN, Philippines — Fishers group Pamalakaya has urged the government to provide aid to the victims of Typhoon Ursula, primarily fishers and farmers in the Southwestern Tagalog Region and the Visayas whose livelihood were damaged or destroyed over the holidays.

The fishers group said the government “should mobilize its rehabilitation funds to provide assistance to the rural sector in the most affected regions and provinces.”

“We humbly appeal to the national and local government units to immediately disperse aid to the fishers and farmers whose livelihood were ravaged by the last typhoon to hit the country this year,” Pamalakaya National Chairperson Fernando Hicap said in a statement.

Of the total P1.084 billion damages left by "Ursula," agriculture accounted for most of the cost at P782.984 million (about 72% of all damage), according to the latest estimates by the National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council.

Fisheries took the largest blow at P587.406 million, or 3/4 of all agricultural cost.

Western Visayas (Region VI), meanwhile, experienced most of the fisheries damaged per the NDRRMC’s situational report on Monday. The region suffered P560.515 million in fisheries cost, almost all the agricultural damage and half of all “Ursula” costs overall.

“Our rural sectors who endured the recent typhoon were not able to have a joyful celebration of the yuletide season due to the natural disaster that struck their communities. The government’s help in a form of livelihood support and economic relief is urgently needed so that the affected rural people could kick off the New Year with a fresh start,” Hicap said.

“The best gift that the typhoon-affected farmers and fishers could receive this holiday is for them to return to their wheels of production.”