A comprehensive climate-resilience package and accelerated infrastructure funding will be rolled out in the Davao Region to protect agricultural communities from severe production losses caused by extreme moisture stress.
During a Palace press briefing Monday, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Marcos administration is addressing the region’s agricultural crisis through targeted funding under the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and immediate mitigation measures by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The DA earlier reported that the region suffered PHP117 million in agricultural losses from January to March due to moisture stress. An additional PHP783 million in damage reported in April is still being validated.
“Under the proposed GAA 2026, the national government is funding climate-resilient rural infrastructure through the Build, Better, More program. In Region XI, 48 farm-to-market road projects have been allocated a total of PHP1.495 billion,” Castro said.
She added that six localized projects worth PHP310 million have completed detailed engineering designs and program of works requirements and are awaiting the release of the Special Allotment Release Order from the Department of Budget and Management.
“Mahalaga po kasi ang mga dokumento para hindi po mapunta ang pondo kung saan-saan lamang (Documents are crucial so that the funds do not just go anywhere),” she added.
To cushion the dry spell’s impact on farmers and fisherfolk, the DA has implemented a five-point mitigation strategy focused on resource management and crop adaptation, Castro said.
The measures include closer coordination of climate-response programs with regional offices, attached bureaus and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The DA is also intensifying information campaigns on El Niño preparedness, repositioning stocks of seeds, fertilizers and alternative farm inputs, and promoting crop shifting and drought-tolerant crop varieties. Planting materials, soil ameliorants, pesticides and biologics will also be distributed.
Castro reaffirmed that the national government is prioritizing the rehabilitation of heavily affected agricultural areas in Davao. (PNA)
