BAGUIO CITY – Two persons died in separate drowning and landslide incidents in Mountain Province and Benguet, respectively at the height of the onslaught of Severe Tropical Cyclone Kristine over the past three days.
In Mountain Province, rescuers were able to recover the body of Francis Angel, 60 after he was allegedly washed down by the strong current of the Chico River, particularly in sitio Sabanglayaan, barangay Losad, Sabangan town Thursday.
In Benguet, a 24-year-old farmer died after he was buried by a landslide at the height of the heavy rains and strong winds brought by Typhoon Kristine in a vegetable farm in Buyacaoan, Buguias.
The victim was identified as Jasper Jones Amoy and a native of Kibungan, Benguet.
Some one thousand six hundred ninety seven families from the different parts of the Cordillera were affected by the heavy rains and strong winds that were brought by Sere Tropical Cyclone Kristine over the past three days.
Based on the data obtained from the Cordillera office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-CAR), the affected families came from 167 barangays from the six provinces of the region where there were some 5,746 individuals that compromised the affected families.
Further, there are 973 families or 3,407 individuals who are currently staying inside some 88 open evacuation centers.
On the other hand, there are some 405 families or 1,417 individuals who are seeking temporary shelter with their families or relatives.
DSWD-CAR regional director Maria Catbagan-Aplaten said that more than P847,961.95 worth of humanitarian assistance had already been extended by the agency, local governments and the private sector to the typhoon-affected families in the different parts of the region.
She claimed that the region’s available relief sources for the calamity victims is still a whooping P108.2 million composed of various non-food and food items that are ready for disposal to whoever will be in need of assistance from the agency.
Moreover, some P2.9 million had been earmarked by the agency as stand by funds while there is an available P53 million worth of non-food items that can be deployed anytime upon the request of concerned local governments that need the said assistance.
The Department of Agriculture Cordillera (DA-CAR) is now gathering data on the number of farmers and fisherfolk in the region who have been affected by Tropical Storm Kristine.
Crisante Rosario, DA-CAR Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council focal person explained that as of October 24, 2024, the initial number of farmers affected is currently at 54 rice and vegetable farmers in two provinces in the region.
“14 rice farmers in Kalinga and 45 vegetable farmers in Apayao have been affected by the tropical storm affecting 80 hectares of rice and 1.75 hectares of vegetables, with Initial losses to rice recorded at P1,865,480, and vegetables at P105,000 having a total of P1.9 million. We are currently gathering data and information from our provincial coordinating offices on the effect of the typhoon to our agriculture sector,” Rosario said.Rice farmers in the region were able to harvest 28,049 metric tons of rice, and 102,307.5 metric tons of corn prior to tropical storm ‘Kristine’ this year.
DA-CAR Field Operations Division Chief Beverly Pekas pointed out that the department is currently implementing measures as part of its validation procedures before, during, and after disasters and calamities.
“The actions that we are currently undertaking is the monitoring of the actual field situation for damage and losses incurred in the agriculture and fisheries sector, the dissemination of advisory to our provincial Agriculture Program Coordinating Offices (APCOs), Local Government Units, and farmer leaders on farm operation activities, coordination with other National and Regional DRRM-related offices, as well as LGU counterparts in monitoring the impact of the tropical storm” Pekas stated.
DA-CAR has also pre-positioned rice, corn, and high-value crop seeds, drugs, and biologics for livestock and poultry in safe storage facilities, continuously conducted price monitoring for possible changes in the prices of agricultural commodities, aside from monitoring of road networks and mobilization of KADIWA trucks for movement and logistical assistance for agricultural commodities.
The department also provides various forms of assistance for distribution in response to the needs of farmers impacted by the tropical storm particularly the distribution of agricultural inputs such as rice, corn, and vegetable seeds, drugs and biologics for livestock, farmers’ access to the P25,000 loanable amount from the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), payable in three years at zero interest, and the indemnification of insured affected farmers through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) after undergoing the necessary validation and evaluation process.
DA-CAR Regional Executive Director Atty. Jennilyn Dawayan reiterated the need for other affected farmers in the region to immediately report the damages they have incurred to their respective barangay, municipal, city, and provincial local government units for the department to validate their upon receipt of the reports, and to determine the specific interventions to be provided to the affected farmer. By Dexter See and Jonathan Llanes