According to a report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), farmers and fisherfolk are facing P1.14 billion worth of damage in areas heavily affected by Typhoon Ambo.
In Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol and Eastern Visayas, 65,824 metric tons of production was lost. An estimate of 25,404 hectares of land were destroyed, affecting around 37,714 farmers and fisherfolk. High-value crops such as papayas, bananas and corn were not spared from the damage. Fishing facilities worth P25.47 million were also affected.
On May 17, the running total for damages was only at P79 million, according to the NDRRMC. At least 25,000 residents of Eastern Samar province also lost their homes due to the typhoon.
DA plans to use a P700 million fund as a response to the damages in the agricultural areas of the affected provinces. Additionally, they have prepared rice and corn seeds to be given to displaced farmers.
Nine health facilities in Bicol and Eastern Visayas were damaged during the typhoon, including the Bicol Regional Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory, which is one of the accredited testing laboratories for COVID-19.
Header photo courtesy of Mark Alvic Esplana of Inquirer.net
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