President Marcos urged all local government units (to brace for the La Niña phenomenon following the ongoing dry spell as he led the distribution of P60 million in financial assistance and services to farmers and fisherfolks affected by the El Niño phenomenon in Zamboanga Peninsula.
“My fellow countrymen, the whole world is facing a serious challenge due to what we call climate change, weather changes. We are experiencing extreme weather. It’s very hot now, and in the coming months, we can expect heavy rainfalls,” the President said.
Two municipalities and one city in the Zamboanga Peninsula have been put under a state of calamity due to the dry spell, affecting 66,878 families and 334,391 individuals.
The Office of the President extended P10 million in aid to the city government of Zamboanga, P14.26 million to Zamboanga del Norte, P14.35 million to Zamboanga del Sur; and P20.3 million to Zamboanga Sibugay.
The Office of Speaker Ferdinand Romualdez also handed over five kilos of rice to all the attendees.
The DSWD will also implement its Cash for Work Program in Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, extending P21.9 million in cash benefits.
In addition, the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair will be launched in Zamboanga City, the first in Region IX on May 10 to 11, 2024, with some 49 national government agencies offering over 405 different kinds of services to around 107,000 beneficiaries.
The DSWD will also carry out a city-wide payout extending P145 million to over 56,000 individual beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations.
Other province-wide activities include LAB for ALL services, scholarship programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and livelihood assistance for various sectors.
As this developed, President Marcos expressed full support to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) in its initiative to plant 100 million coconut trees for the Philippines to become a top coconut-exporting country.
During a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council-Agriculture Sector Group (PSAC-ASG) at the Palace on Wednesday, the President discussed strategies for the development of the coconut industry and other agricultural products.
Christopher Po, a PSAC-ASG member, proposed accelerating the program by increasing seednut production.
President Marcos pledged sufficient funding for the PCA to carry out the initiative, pointing out its economic potential.
The PSAC recommended a roadmap for the program’s acceleration and contract farming with local salt producers for fertilizer supply.
A budget of P2.5 billion could double coconut tree fertilization and salt production, boosting productivity and farmer income, the PSAC noted.
For the current year, the PCA aims to replant 8.5 million coconut seedlings and fertilize 2.8 million trees.
Additionally, the PSAC urged DILG and LGUs to pilot salt production areas and the DOE to draft a roadmap for increasing biodiesel blends.
The DOE plans to issue a circular gradually increasing biofuel blends from B2 to B5 by 2026. The one percent blend increase, initially set for July 2024, has been postponed to August 2024.