Distribution of calamity assistance

Distribution of calamity assistance – Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council personnel and volunteers lead by MDRRMO Jessie Della Cruz (Standing left) load the LGU-owned heavy equipments with 15 kilos of rice for each beneficiary in Brgy. Kawayan last Thursday, as part of the local government’s massive relief distribution to land tillers hardly hit by the recent dry spell in Malungon, Sarangani Province. Local government officials put the entire town under state of catastrophe due to the dry spell that have dried up almost 3, 479.7 hectares of agricultural estates, and bore on the living conditions of land tillers in the vicinity. 

Dela Cruz said Mayor Reynaldo F. Constantino immediately signed SB resolution no. 1, series of 2015 declaring the entire municipality of Malungon under the state of calamity following reports that almost 8, 000 farmers had been already affected by the months of dry spell, directing the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council that he chairs, to take appropriate action and serve the local populace with the much needed government assistance, particularly in the highland villages of the said municipality. 

As of this day, the local government has already covered about 17 villages out of this town’s 31 comprising barangays with food stuff assistance, catering some 11, 260 household beneficiaries. The relief distribution already consummated some 3, 610 sacks of NFA purchased rice for the massive distribution to identified affected families.

Reports said the El Nino phenomenon in which PAGASA said to be a cause of abnormal heating of the central and eastern Pacific waters, have laid waste to nearly half a billion pesos worth of permanent, short and medium term crops, and heavily affected more or less about 2, 528 farmers that are now suffering serious successive losses in farm produce. (ISAGANI PROVIDO PALMA/ MIO-Malungon, Sarangani). Photos courtesy of VM Erwin Asgapo and JoJo Gocotano