Provincial Board to set plans vs El Niño

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Provincial Board (PB) will meet on Monday in a special en banc session to map out plans and mitigation moves that will address the looming dry spell and El Niño phenomenon.

Eight towns in the fourth district of Pampanga are set to be placed under a state of calamity because of reported damages to thousands of hectares of rice crops and the “fish kill” because of El Niño.

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Following the reports, fourth district Board Member and PB Committee on Environment and Natural Resources chair Ricardo Yabut appealed to the august body led by Vice Governor Joseller “Yeng” Guiao to immediately look into the reports before they become critical.

“It is not that critical yet but we have to act on it immediately. We would invite affected stakeholders as well as officials of the Department of Agriculture, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist and the National Irrigation Administration so we could discuss how we could counter and prepare for El Niño,” Yabut told Sun.Star Pampanga.

He said the “fish kill” in Candaba and the drying crops ready for harvest in other towns have become alarming.

Third district Board Member and PB Committee on Agriculture chair Johnny “JQ” Quiambao agreed and supported Yabut’s proposal, as he said many farmers and fisherfolk, still reeling from the effects of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, are bound to encounter losses in yields again.

“We wouldn’t have to wait for the executive to act on it. We must move and act on the possible effects of El Niño on our farmers and fisher folk. They haven’t fully recovered from the recent calamities and they need our assistance as my colleague BM Ric Yabut pointed out,” said Quiambao.

As this developed, Guiao called for the immediate en banc session to address the situation.