FARMLANDS and water reservoirs in Cebu Province are not the only areas greatly affected by the onset of the weak El Niño phenomenon.
According to Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Chief Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., the dry spell also affected the livelihood of fisherfolk.
“The fish stay in the deep because the surface temperature of the water is really high,” Tribunalo said in Cebuano Monday, March 18.
The rise in temperature brought about by the El Niño also triggered an abnormal increase in the number of crown-of-thorns seastar, a type of coral-eating starfish.
“There is a crown-of-thorns outbreak. According to our marine biologists at the Provoncial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro), it’s a starfish that preys on corals. As a result, the fish catch has dropped and so has the source of food for many of the fish,” Tribunalo said in Cebuano.
An initial assessment from the PDRRMO showed that a crown-of-thorns outbreak had been reported in the towns of Cordova and Moalboal and in the Camotes group of islands.
With this development, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council started collecting data from local government units (LGUs).
The council will hold a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, March 19, in preparation for the declaration of a state of calamity in the province.
The PDRRMO has P60 million from the quick response fund for this purpose.
Declaring the province under a state of calamity will allow LGUs to use their quick response funds, based on the needs and assessments from their communities.
It will also allow the Capitol to help farmers who are suffering from poor harvest to receive rice rations. (RTF)