Farmers hit by cold spell, landslides to get aid

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government is set to give P10 million worth of agricultural inputs like fertilizers to around 1,000 farmers affected by the cold spell and landslides that hit upland barangays January this year.

City Agriculture Department Officer Apple Tribunalo said it is apt to give the aid since the calamities have taken a toll on the livelihood of the city farmers.

“Their farm-produced crops and goods were reduced, affecting their livelihood,” she said, adding that the calamities affected their produce with a decline of 30 to 40 percent.  The damage to crops and livestock brought by the dry spell and landslides was pegged at P9.3 million.

The mountain barangays affected include Agsungot, Busay, Budlaan, Binaliw, Bonbon, Kalunasan, Pamutan, Pit-os, Mabini, Toong, Sapangdaku, Sirao, Sudlon 1, Sudlon 2, Paril, Malubog, Lusaran, Guba, Cambinocot, Buot, and Sinsin.

The barangays have been placed under a state of calamity by the City Council due to the calamities.  The P10 million budget will be sourced from the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office’s quick response fund (QRF).

At present, Tribunalo said they are still in the process of submitting the purchase request (PR) for the farm inputs to the city’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC).

The bidding process would usually take months. — Charlene Cobol (FREEMAN)