P31.5-M aid approved for Kidapawan farmers

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.
The Davao City Council has approved the P31.5 assistance for the protesting famers who are hit by the drought in North Cotabato as requested by Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte.
In yesterday’s City Council’s regular session, “An ordinance to support the province of North Cotabato in form of food assistance,” was passed by the council under suspended rules yesterday.
The fund will enable the city to procure and give 15,000 sacks of rice to the farmers of North Cotabato.
This approval came in when Duterte vowed on Friday that he will give food assistance to the victims of drought after the bloody dispersal of protesting farmers in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato last week.
The dispersal resulted to two deaths from the group of the protesters and dozens were wounded from the police and farmers.
The ordinance states the Office of the City Mayor has issued a certificate of urgency on April 4, requesting for the approval to support then farmers of North Cotabato.
It said the North Cotabato has been experiencing drought and rat infestation as the result of dry spell which affected 31,663.70 hectares of agricultural lands in the province.
There are 13,286 farmers who are suffering from the P1.47 billion damage based from Damage and Assessment Needs Analysis report of the Department of Agriculture (DA) 12.
The assistance will be drawn from the P309 million quick response fund (QRF) which was recommended by Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO).
During the discussion, City Budget Office head Erlinda Furog assured the city council the city government still has enough money to respond to the needs of the Dabawneyos once a calamity or disaster will hit the city.
For her part, assistant city administrator Jhopee S. Avanceña-Agustin assured the councilors and the public that the donation will be not used as propaganda for the political advancement of Duterte who is running for president.
This after councilor Bonifacio Militar asked her the assurance that the donation will not be perceived as propaganda on the part of Duterte since North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou ‘Lala’ Taliño-Mendoza strongly warned all candidates not to use the incident for their propaganda.
“This might be interpreted as a campaign on the candidacy of Mayor Duterte,” Militar told Avanceña-Agustin.
Avanceña-Agustin replied the city has sought advice from the Commission on Election (Comelec) 11 on the ways to distribute the rice yesterday.
“After the approval of this resolution or ordinance we will write the Comelec to ask for an approval for the exemption on election ban. If the Comelec will approve the exemption that is the time that we will disperse the trucks to deliver the 15,000 sacks of rice,” she said.
Militar recommended to Avanceña-Agustin to include in the ordinance that the delivery and release of the 15,000 sacks of rice should be after the approval of the Comelec.
She accepted the recommendation of Militar saying that the polling will approve the exemption maybe within this week since it is an important matter.
City Social Service and Development Office (CSSDO) head Malou Bermudo said, for her part, the distribution of the rice will not go directly to the protesting farmers who asked for it, but through the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).
Bermudo said the city also coordinated with the Municipal Social Welfare Offices in North Cotabato to have complete lists of famers who are affected with the drought.
“We will coordinate with the Municipal Social Welfare Offices because they are the ones who know the beneficiaries,” she said.
She said based on the data provided to their offices, the municipalities that are affected with the dry spell are Arakan Valley, President Roxas, Magpet, Antipas and some parts of Kidapawan City.