Oriental Mindoro town seeks DA fuel subsidy over drought threat

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — The Bulalacao municipal government in Oriental Mindoro is asking the Department of Agriculture to secure fuel subsidies for farmers, as a prolonged dry spell threatens crop production and the town’s water supply. 

On his social media page, Mayor Lumelito Cabagay posted that the local government is coordinating with the Municipal Agriculture Office, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and barangay officials to request diesel assistance. 

The subsidy would help farmers operate water pumps to keep their rice fields irrigated amid dwindling water sources. 

READ: Provinces brace for drought, farm losses

“If there is a subsidy, we will ask the Department of Agriculture for diesel assistance so farmers can pump water and sustain their crops if the rains do not come,” the mayor said. 

Rising heat since October has dried up farmlands and lowered river levels, weakening water flow through National Irrigation Administration (NIA) canals. 

Farmers have resorted to drawing directly from rivers, but rising costs have become a burden. 

Some rice plants are already showing signs of stress and disease, raising fears of significant production losses, Cabagay said. 

Rice and onions are among the town’s key agricultural products. 

The water crisis is also affecting households. Some residents had nearly a week without water, prompting the local government to step up daily water deliveries to affected communities, Mayor Cabagay observed. “Some residents had already been without water for about a week, so I have been supplying water almost every day,” he said. 

Cabagay said the local government is assessing whether to declare a state of calamity should conditions continue to worsen. 

Mansalay and Bulalacao are the towns in the province that usually bear the brunt of the dry season. This year, however, agriculture officials are stepping up interventions because of the Super El Niño forecast./coa