JDV raises P350 M for El Niño fund

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. has been able to raise P350 million for the P1-billion El Niño fund that the House had decided to create before Congress adjourned session last June 4.

Some 70 members of De Venecia’s Sunshine Coalition have each pledged P5 million of their pork barrel allocations to the fund. They made the decision in a caucus held Monday night.

"We called for the meeting to tackle this very crucial initiative and make sure that food production is sustained and our millions of farmers are provided the assistance they need," the Speaker said yesterday.

He said the funds would be used for shallow tube wells, small water impounding dams, irrigation canals, farm-to-market roads, and similar infrastructure.

"These facilities will provide continuous irrigation to ensure the cultivation of high-value crops and vegetables. They are fast to construct and will have an immediate impact on food production compared to the big-ticket water-impounding dams that will take several years and are expensive to build," he said.

He added that the El Niño fund is the contribution of the House to government efforts to cushion the adverse effects of the prolonged drought on farmers and the people in general.

Besides De Venecia, those who pledged their contributions included Deputy Speakers Raul Gonzalez, Gerry Salappudin and Emilio Espinosa, Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, and Representatives Francis Escudero of Sorsogon;

Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte, Harry Angping of Manila, Teodoro Locsin Jr. of Makati, Jules Ledesma of Negros Occidental, Generoso Tulagan of Pangasinan, and Prospero Nograles of Davao City.

Manila Representatives Rodolfo Bacani and Joey Hizon said they will utilize their public works allocation to build water-distribution systems in their districts still without water. – With Felix de los Santos