In the wake of the damage caused by "Typhoon Yolanda", National Irrigation Administration chief Claro V. Maranan has mobilized the agency’s management and employees to donate relief goods such as food, clothing, blankets and other materials to the victims of the typhoon during the flag-raising ceremony last Monday on November 11, 2013.
"I saw the condition that the people were in and they really need all the help that they can get," Maranan said.
The mobilization is part of the NIA’s efforts to help the victims of the recent storms, many of whom were left without food, clothing and shelter, and are now in need of aid. The Administrator with the help of The Management, Employees’ Association and Irrigators’ Association has tapped the Public Affairs and Information Staff (PAIS) to receive items for donation and tasked to handle the packing and transfer of the donated goods that will be done at the NIA Multi-purpose Gymnasium. The items will be given to the victims of the typhoon.
Apart from organizing a donation drive, the administrator has also submitted initial report of the typhoon damages to the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Office of the President regarding the irrigation sites affected. As of November 12, a total of 12,093 hectares were affected in Regions 4-A, 4-B, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 13.
Crop damaged in the said regions amounted to P88,563,200 while cost of repairs to be done to irrigation facilities came to P300,029,214. Damaged facilities were 31 canal structures, 39 small dams and the number of farmers affected by the recent calamity totaled to 9,390.
The Administrator also pledge to help the farmers whom he considers partners of the NIA to rebuild areas that were devastated by Typhoon Yolanda. "Bukod sa mga calamity fund na ibibigay ng NIA at ng ating pamahalaan, mag-aallocate tayo ng P150M out of our budget from 2014 para matulungan po natin ang mga affected areas", Maranan added.
