Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has directed all regional offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in areas hit by recent tropical cyclones and the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat), as well as the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), to fast-track damage verification and loss assessments to enable the immediate rollout of assistance to affected farmers and fisherfolk.
Secretary Tiu Laurel, who also chairs the National Food Authority (NFA), likewise ordered the swift release of rice stocks in areas urgently in need of support for ongoing disaster relief operations.
According to the DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center bulletin released Saturday, September 27, preliminary estimates place total agricultural and infrastructure losses at P1.38 billion. The figure reflects the combined impact of tropical cyclones Mirasol and Nando, along with Habagat, across nine regions.
The report notes that around 55,595 farmers and agricultural workers have been affected.
DA Regional Field Offices reported damage to approximately 47,723 hectares of farmland in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and SOCCSKSARGEN. Preliminary estimates point to production losses of 109,997 metric tons across rice, corn, high-value crops, and livestock and poultry.
In response, the DA has prepared the following assistance for distribution of 142,219 bags of palay seeds; 90,320 bags of corn seeds; 40,518 kilograms of vegetable seeds; 1.65 million fingerlings of tilapia, bangus, and carp; drug and biologics for livestock and poultry; and the immediate provision of Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loans of up to P25,000 under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, payable in three years at zero interest as well as crop insurance indemnification through PCIC.
Meanwhile, the DA continues to gather field reports from areas affected by Severe Tropical Storm Opong, which recently swept through key agricultural zones in central Philippines, including the islands of Mindoro and Masbate.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson announced that 2.4 million sacks of rice have been earmarked for disaster response—representing around 27 percent of NFA’s total stockpile of 8.9 million bags in rice equivalent. This volume is sufficient to meet national consumption needs for nine days.
In the Bicol Region, Lacson said the NFA prepositioned and released 2,117 bags of rice as part of its pre-disaster response for communities affected by Nando and Habagat. Local government units (LGUs) in Albay, Ligao, Daraga, Malilipot, Catanduanes, Baras, and Pili have already withdrawn their rice allocations from NFA warehouses to support affected residents. He added that NFA’s regional operations centers remain on full alert to back ongoing relief efforts.
In Cagayan province on Saturday, Secretary Tiu Laurel accompanied President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the distribution of assistance to around 12,740 farmers in eight towns of this severely affected Northern Luzon province. DA estimates losses in Cagayan at P700 million.
The Department, through the PCIC, has also allocated P236 million in indemnification payments based on claims filed by roughly 25,800 farmers across eight regions affected by the recent weather events. Of this amount, P206 million is earmarked for rice-related losses. Around 17,600 insured farmers are from Regions I and II.
“Early next week we will submit our impact assessment for Opong,” PCIC President Jovy Bernabe said.
The Department will release its initial impact assessment for Severe Tropical Storm Opong tomorrow.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, who oversees the KADIWA ng Pangulo program and the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service, said the DA will continue selling P20-per-kilo rice in coordination with LGUs, especially in affected areas where residents may not have received formal relief.
