Cauayan town, whose rice crops have been the worst hit by the drought in Negros Occidental, is not declaring a state of calamity since it still has sufficient resources to assist the affected farmers, Mayor John Rey Tabujara said on Thursday, May 2.
The drought damage to rice crops in Cauayan town has hit P66.1 million and affected 1,130 farmers, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist reported on April 16.
Tabujara said the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Cauayan local government have provided food assistance to more than 600 farmers from the initial list of those affected.
They will release a second batch of food assistance to more than 1,000 farmers, he said.
Cauayan still has P4.5 million available to assist the drought victims, Tabujara said.
Financial assistance to the farmers will be determined based on what the provincial government will also give, he said.
They are not declaring a state of calamity as they are reserving the town’s disaster fund to respond to the needs of residents should typhoons hit this year, Tabujara said, pointing out that the town had suffered from floods in the past.*