GMA orders moratorium on irrigation fees

TUMAUINI, Isabela , Philippines  – President Arroyo ordered a moratorium on the payment of irrigation fees amid the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, giving farmers bearing the brunt of the worsening dry spell a reprieve. 

The President announced the nationwide moratorium, along with other measures to cushion the effect of the ongoing dry spell during her visit to this severely devastated province the other day.

“We commiserate with our farmers on their plight. The government is doing everything to respond to the situation. Rest assured that the bulk of our calamity funds will go to farmers,” she said.

Mrs. Arroyo, who arrived with some of her Cabinet officials, including Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, acknowledged the burden the country’s farmers are now facing in the wake of the debilitating drought, noting Cagayan Valley as the worst-hit region.

Aside from the moratorium, the President also ordered the Department of Agriculture, which is spearheading the multimillion-peso-funded El Niño Task Force, to also prioritize emergency employment for farmers in areas severely hit by the prolonged drought.

“Extending emergency livelihood to our farmers would somehow (allow) them to recoup their losses,” said the President in a roundtable dialogue with the local media.

“We also give priority to the rehabilitation of irrigation facilities and construction of new ones,” she added. 

The President also said the government is conducting cloud-seeding operations and providing pump wells to drought-hit areas to complement the long absence of rainfall, which is predicted to last until June.

For long-term measures, besides the repair of irrigation systems and the construction of new ones, the President underscored the need to desilt the Cagayan River and utilize it for small water impounding areas.

Mrs. Arroyo urged local government units (LGUs) to do their share in helping the farmers. “(The national government is) the court of last resort. It should be the LGUs who will be spearheading efforts to mitigate the effects of the El Niño,” she said.

Meanwhile, Cagayan Valley’s total corn and palay losses due to the ongoing dry spell have already reached more than P4 billion, with Isabela incurring the bulk of these losses.

Dr. Danilo Tumamao, Isabela agriculture officer, said the province is already losing P3.2 million in corn and palay damage, covering 156,527 hectares of farmlands.

Reports show that 97,069 rice and corn farmers in 35 towns and two cities in Isabela are affected by the dry spell.

The corn sector incurred the biggest loss estimated at 191,150 metric tons worth P1.9 billion, while rice farmers incurred P1.4 billion in losses at the current buying price.

Isabela’s fishery sector also lost some P6.6 million, covering 331 hectares of the province’s 812 hectares of fresh water or aquaculture farms, including fish cages at the Magat Dam in Ramon town, as a result of the El Niño phenomenon.

Meanwhile, Quirino province has been placed under a state of calamity, too, amid huge agricultural losses brought by the dry spell.

This has practically placed the entire Cagayan Valley under a state of calamity, with Isabela, the worst-hit province, the first to make such a declaration, followed by Cagayan and Nueva Vizcaya.

Quirino Gov. Dakila Cua said initial estimates show that his province has already lost some P425 million in crops.