DAMAGED. The Egaña bailey bridge in the municipality of Sibalom in Antique undergoes maintenance works after it wobbled because of heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon on July 24. Antique also reported some PHP5.5 million losses in rice crops due to flooding caused by inclement weather. (PNA photo courtesy of DPWH Antique)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The province of Antique has sustained PHP5.5 million losses in rice crops due to Typhoon Egay-enhanced southwest monsoon.
Serafin Yanga, Antique Office of the Provincial Agriculture focal person for natural calamity, said in an interview Friday that flooding has damaged a total of 183 hectares of rice fields owned by 239 farmers in towns of Hamtic, Laua-an, Valderrama and Barbaza.
“The damage could not really affect our rice sufficiency considering that those in the vegetative and maturity stages have still a big chance of recovery,” Yanga said.
Of the total of 183 hectares, Yanga said that 39.15 hectares are on vegetative and 42.9 hectares are already in their maturity stage.
The focal person said OPA has a buffer stock of 1,200 bags of rice seeds for distribution to farmers needing assistance.
A farmer can receive a 20-kilo bag of rice seeds for replanting for every hectare that is damaged aside from the indemnity they could get from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).
Michael Tolentino, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Officer III of the Antique Provincial DRRM Office, said as of Friday only 20 families whose houses were destroyed by the storm surge and landslide are still staying with their relatives while the rest of the 185 families that evacuated have returned to their respective homes.
“The totally damaged houses are in San Jose de Buenavista with two and in San Remigio with 18,” Tolentino said.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) report also said that the Egaña bailey bridge in the municipality of Sibalom is only accessible to vehicles 10 tons and below after it wobbled due to the heavy rains on July 24. (PNA)
