THE Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is distributing 20,000 bags of rice seeds to farmers affected by Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng,” officials said Wednesday.
Saudi Mangindra, BARMM’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (Mafar)-Maguindanao chief agriculturist, said the program aims to help farmers whose crops were washed out by the typhoon.
Mangindra said Mafar has distributed about 40 percent of the 20,000 sacks of rice seeds under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund program.
He added another 50,000 sacks of rice under the regular program of Mafar will also be given to farmers.
Maguindanao, Cotabato City and the 63 villages under BARMM’s special geographic area (SGA) villages in North Cotabato suffered damage during the onslaught of Paeng.
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According to the BARMM Information Office, the region’s agriculture and fishery sector lost P586 million due to the weather disturbance.
Paeng affected 14,174 farmers, fisherfolk, and agrarian reform beneficiaries in Maguindanao, Cotabato City, and SGA villages in North Cotabato.
Mafar reported that Paeng has affected agricultural lands in 209 villages of 24 municipalities, with corn, palay, high-value crops, livestock, and fisheries being the most affected agricultural products.
Ronjamin Maulana, Mafar-Maguindanao provincial director, said the cost of damage could go higher after all the reports and assessments are done.
“So far, Paeng was the first typhoon that hit us hard in the history of Maguindanao, with so many losses and damage to our agriculture, fisheries and livestocks,” Maulana added.
In Maguindanao alone, Maulana said Paeng damaged 6,444 hectares of rice fields, 4,367 hectares of corn crops, 183 hectares of assorted vegetables, 527 hectares of fishponds and 770 assorted livestocks.
Meanwhile, field workers of the Ministry of Social Services and Development-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MSSD-BARMM) have doubled their efforts in providing relief items to Paeng-affected families in the region.
According to MSSD Minister Raissa Jajurie, the latest recipients of relief items were internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Datu Blah Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.
Jajurie said that 565 IDPs staying at the Datu Mohammad A. Sinsuat Integrated School received food and nonfood item packages last Tuesday.
Each family received 25 kilograms of rice, a family food pack, cooking kits, sleeping kits, and drinking water, among others.
Jajurie assured that all affected families in the municipality would receive the same relief supplies.
She also stated her office would continue to work with local government units and concerned line agencies to serve all the residents affected by Paeng in the region.
Furthermore, the MSSD-BARMM has also constructed emergency toilets in evacuation shelters.
Through the MSSD Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program, social workers built latrines at the evacuation centers in the villages of Penansaran, Pura, and Matuber, all in Datu Blah Sinsuat municipality.
Cement, fine aggregates, reinforcing bars, hardwood, nails, corrugated sheets, and laminated sacks were some of the construction materials sent to affected families.
“We are constructing latrines at evacuation camps to secure the proper human waste disposal and prevent the spread of excreta-related diseases and other infections through direct and indirect routes,” Erika Alim, the MSSD-WASH focal person, said.
The MSSD is also set to construct WASH facilities in the evacuation centers of Barangay Badak and Dinaig in Datu Odin Sinsuat, also in Maguindanao del Norte.
