W. Visayas’ agri sector lost P31M to ‘Quinta’

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

Western Visayas lost an estimated in P31 million in the agriculture sector at the height of Typhoon “Quinta,” according to the Office of Civil Defense-Region 6.

OCD-6 spokesperson Aletha Nogra told Aksyon Radyo Iloilo that most of the region was affected.

The OCD-6 chairs the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC).

Nogra said Antique was hardest hit, affecting agricultural crops and bringing damage to infrastructures such as dikes and roads.

Except for pockets of landslides, public structures were unscathed while some affected roads were immediately cleared.

According to Nogra, the Department of Agriculture-Region 6 estimated the typhoon’s damages to the agricultural sector at around P31 million.

These include crop systems, crops which are on vegetative or reproductive stage and maturity stages, vegetables, seedlings, and rice plants.

The affected crop areas are in Antique, Capiz, and portions of Negros Occidental.

Nogra said the report is only the initial assessment by the agriculture department and they expect a full report with updated details soon.

“We expect the figures to change once [the Department of Agriculture] can have an overall assessment of the crops,” Nogra said.

The cost of damage to infrastructure is still unknown as these are still being assessed by local government units.

Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) indicated as of 6 am of Wednesday that 42 barangays (1,055 families with 4,381 individuals) in the region were affected by the typhoon.

The most affected is Antique, with 27 barangays (491 families, and 2,144 persons).

The affected municipalities in the western side of the province are Hamtic, San Jose, Sibalom, Tobias Fornier, Barbaza, Culasi, Laua-an, Libertad, Patnongon, and Tibiao.

In Negros Occidental, the towns of Hinoba-an and Isabela were also affected, particularly 14 barangays (561 families, and 2,222 persons).

In Capiz, only Roxas City was affected, according to the latest DROMIC report.

As of the latest report, the DSWD Region 6 is also packing relief goods at its regional warehouse in Oton, Iloilo.

The DROMIC report was consolidated by the DSWD-6 with reports from SWD offices of Antique, Capiz, Negros Occidental, and Iloilo City.

Nogra said they are currently working on safer evacuation centers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The typhoon, with the international name “Molave,” entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Oct 23, 2020.

Since the last weekend, it brought bringing moderate to heavy rains, with the greatest impact felt when it made landfall on Oct 26.