RESPITE FROM HEAVY RAINS: PAGASA SAYS GOOD WEATHER IN NEXT 3 DAYS
MANILA, OCTOBER 11, 2009 (STAR) By Evelyn Macairan - The country will enjoy a respite of at least three days from the heavy rains, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said yesterday.In a weather bulletin released at 5 p.m. yesterday, Pagasa weather forecaster Bernie de Leon said typhoon “Pepeng” (international name Parma) was already at the boundary of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) and is headed out to South China Sea. Pagasa has lowered all public storm warning signals.
There was no weather disturbance monitored over the past 72 hours. A high-pressure area in the eastern section of the country would cause mornings to be sunny, but would bring isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms in the afternoons and evenings.
As of late afternoon yesterday, Pepeng, packing winds of 55 kilometers per hour, was located 250 kilometers west of Laoag City, moving northwest at 15 kilometers per hour.
It is expected to be 520 kilometers west of Laoag City tomorrow afternoon.
De Leon said, however, that five more typhoons are expected to hit the country this month until the end of the year. Two storms each month are expected from October to November, while a cyclone is expected in December.
The storms are expected to hit provinces in the Bicol region and Southern Luzon, as well as the Visayas region.
“It is possible that these typhoons might have the same strength as Ondoy and Pepeng,” De Leon said.
Meanwhile, Sonia Serrano of the Pagasa Hydrometeorological Division said five dams continue to discharge water. These are Ambuklao, Binga, San Roque, Pantabangan and Magat.
The volume, however, has been reduced compared to the release in the past few days.
“The volume of the discharge of water was smaller because there is less inflow,” she added.
The San Roque Dam in Pangasinan serves as the catch basin for the Ambuklao and Binga Dams.
She said they have been issuing advisories not only once a day, but as often as four times a day, depending on the necessity, to inform the public if water will be discharged from the dams.
Agriculture losses from 'Ondoy,' 'Pepeng' jump to P10 billion By Marianne Go (The Philippine Star) Updated October 11, 2009 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported yesterday that damage to the agriculture sector caused by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” has reached P10 billion.
Marites Bernardo of the DA Central Action Center said Ondoy’s damage is estimated at P 6.8 billion while Pepeng destroyed P3.2-billion worth of crops and agricultural facilities.
The floods caused by Pepeng are still affecting several provinces in Northern Luzon as of Sept. 9.
For the rice sector in Regions I, II, III, V and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), the affected area is now 126,603 hectares where 164,259 metric tons (MT) of palay worth P2.8 billion were lost and P9 million worth of investment of farmers were wasted.
Losses were recorded in all provinces of the Cordilleras and the Ilocos region, Cagayan and Nueva Vizcaya in Cagayan Valley, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga in Central Luzon, Albay and Camarines Norte in Bicol.
For the corn sector in Regions I, II, III, IVB and V, affected were 7,960 hectares where 15,528 MT corn grains was lost with a value of P207 million.
The losses came from all provinces of CAR and Cagayan in Region II, and Albay and Camarines Sur of Region V.
For the high-value commercial crops (HVCC) sector in the CAR and in Regions I, II, III, IVA, IVB and V, 3,740 hectares were affected resulting in a loss of 20,686 MT consisting of mostly of vegetables, bananas and assorted fruit trees worth P196 million.
The DACAC reported that irrigation facilities in Region I that were damaged included Communal Irrigation System (CIS)/National Irrigation System (NIS) in Ilocos worth P364 million.
For the rice sector in Region I, II, III, IVA, IVB, V and the CAR, affected were 185,763 hectares causing the loss of 313,477 MT of palay, with total value of more than P5.4 billion.
About 35,207 hectares were completely damaged while 150,558 hectares may recover.
Value of destroyed harvestable palay is close to P5 billion, while investment of farmers who lost crops in seedling/vegetative stage amounts to P81 million.
For the corn sector in Regions I, II, III, IVB and V, affected were 3,123 hectares where 2,939 MT corn grains was lost. The value of damage amounts to P65 million of which P38 million is lost corn harvest.
For the HVCC sector in the CAR and in Regions I, II, III, IVA, IVB and V, 2,146 hectares were affected resulting in a loss of 14,149 MT consisting mostly of vegetables, mangoes, bananas, and papayas, all worth P141 million.
For the fisheries sector in Regions III, IVA and IVB, 8,356 hectares of fishponds with milkfish/tilapia/prawn, fish cages and seaweed farms were affected resulting in a loss to the sector of P211 million.
Moreover, facilities/equipment such as boats, gillnets, fish traps, squid jiggers worth around P3 million were damaged.
The livestock/poultry sector in Regions III and IVA lost a total of P41 million with the death or loss of about 12,530 heads of livestock (cattle, carabaos, horse, swine, and sheep) and 84,221 heads of poultry.
In addition, facilities like poultry houses and pigpens worth P1.3 million were destroyed.
Damaged irrigation facilities in the CAR and in Regions II, III and IVA amount to P895 million with service area of 53,464 hectares.
On the impact of the damage to rice and corn targets for the fourth quarter this year, the DA said for Ondoy, lost harvest of 313,427 MT of palay is 4.84 percent of the national target of 6,478,960 MT, while for Pepeng, the initial loss of 164,259 MT constitutes an additional 2.54 percent reduction in production or a total of 477,259 MT, which is 7.38 percent of the projected produce in the country.
For corn, the total volume lost amounting to 2,939 MT is 0.21 percent of the national target production of 1,396,394 MT and for Pepeng, the loss of 164,259 MT is 2.54 percent of the target, for a total of 18,467 MT which is 1.32 percent of the target for the quarter.
Senators monitor rice importation
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said yesterday any new rice importation by the government due to crop losses caused by Ondoy and Pepeng should comply with bidding and other procurement requirements under the law to prevent any irregularity.
Pimentel was reacting to the administration’s plan to import as much as two million metric tons of rice to be delivered next year to prevent a projected shortage in the supply of the staple cereal in the domestic market.
“Assuming that there is really a need to import rice, the correct procedures must be followed. We cannot tolerate a practice wherein they engage in importation without passing through the usual bidding process,” he said.
Pimentel said there was an allegation that the l.65 million tons of rice imported by the National Food Authority from Vietnam early this year was overpriced. The allegation stemmed from reports the NFA paid $540 per ton when the international price of rice stood at only $500.
The alleged overpricing was fueled by the decision of agriculture and NFA officials to skip competitive bidding and to resort to negotiated purchase of the commodity.
Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, urged government and private banks to relax provisions for extending credit to farmers.
“This will help our farmers recover fast from the effects of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, which have ruined vast tracts of rice and other crops, thus threatening our food supply and posing the possibility of starvation and malnutrition among many of our people,” Legarda said.
Legarda pushed for the immediate passage of a bill that would amend Presidential Decree No. 717 also known as the Agri-Agra Law, thus liberalizing the extension of credit to the agricultural sector to boost production.
She said the Senate already passed Senate Bill No. 3431 titled “An Act Providing for an Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Credit and Financing System Through Banking Institutions,” to be known as the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act of 2009. It is up for third reading in the House of Representatives. –With Aurea Calica
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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