Cebu City drought victims may get aid from national government

CEBU, Philippines - More than 500 families victimized by the drought in 28 mountain barangays of Cebu City may soon get food assistance from the national government.

The government has appropriated P500 million as rice assistance for families in the country’s 48 provinces whose livelihood had been badly affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-7 public information officer Jaybee Binghay said that in Cebu City, they will prioritize the distribution to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in barangays Tagbao, Kalunasan, Sudlon 1 and Sudlon II.

The 4Ps is a program that provides money to the beneficiaries on conditions that they would make sure to bring their children to school or to the health centers for medical checkup.

Social Welfare Officer III Sheba Dabon explained that it is the Cebu City agriculture office headed by Joel Baclayon that identified those beneficiaries whose agricultural and flower farms affected by the drought.

Although Dabon did not give the names of the beneficiaries, she said they are residents of barangays Toong, Sinsin, Bonbon, Cambinocot, Adlaon, Pamutan, Tabunan, Paril, Sirao, Budlaan, Malubog, Pung-ol Sibugay, Babag, Binaliw, Busay, Buhisan, Sapangdaku, Agsungot, Pulangbato, Guba, Buot-Taup, Lusaran, Taptap, Mabini, Kalunasan, Tagbao, Sudlon I and Sudlon II.

The city had spent over P5 million for the purchase of drums and hoses for the farmers to make easier for them to bring the water to their farms.

DSWD regional director Evelyn Macapobre said the production level of farmers in the region greatly decreased because of the prolonged drought.

Binghay said their agency is still assessing and validating the needs of the affected families.

In Bohol, each of at least 417 families affected by the El Niño phenomenon had already been provided with a sack of rice.

Those families were from the different barangays of Danao town. — THE FREEMAN