By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Cauayan municipal government has begun consolidating reports on crop damage due to a dry spell brought by the El Niño phenomenon, as they are hesitant on declaring a “state of calamity” in the locality.

Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara said they want to find out first from the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) if there are additional farmers that have been affected by the dry spell before placing the town under a state of calamity.

He expects that their decision will be made within this week.

Earlier reports revealed that 127 farmers from 14 villages in the town have been affected.

Meanwhile, the municipal government, through its Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, is considering giving out food and financial assistance to affected farmers.

Tabujara said the amount of the financial assistance will be based on the MAO’s report.

The mayor said they experienced two days of light rainfall over the weekend, and fair weather yesterday.

The dry spell has affected a total of 126 hectares of farmland in the locality, with damages pegged at almost P7.7 million, the highest recorded in the province.

Earlier, the local government was considering declaring a “state of calamity” due to the ongoing dry spell caused by the El Niño phenomenon in the municipality./DGB, WDJ