The Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) approved a resolution on Monday recommending the state of calamity in Antique due to the El Niño.

Antique PDRRM Officer Broderick Train said the council made the recommendation following the declaration of the state of calamity in three municipalities in the province.

“The towns of Sibalom, Anini-y, and Laua-an have now come up with their own declarations of the state of calamity that is why the PDRRMC also had come up with a declaration for the province,” Train said.

Sibalom declared a state of calamity on March 13, Anini-y on March 27, and Laua-an on April 12.

“The PDRRMC will be submitting its recommendation for the provincial board to deliberate in next week’s regular session,” Train said.

The PDRRMC allocated an initial of PHP10 million from the PHP30 million Quick Response Fund (QRF).

“We will allocate PHP10 million to assist the affected families and individuals,” Antique Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao, who presided over the PDRRMC meeting, said.

The governor said they need to distribute family food packs and aid to individuals in crisis situations (AICS).

“We also need to procure movable water tanks and their needed accessories for barangays suffering from water shortage,” Cadiao said.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Antique will have PHP100,000 for fuel for the firetrucks to transport water to the barangays and respond to fire incidents due to drought.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) will also have PHP100,000 for their fuel to back up the BFP during fire incidents.

The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) report said that 12,552 families with 50,292 individuals were affected by the phenomenon, either because of damaged crops or destroyed houses.

Those with houses destroyed by fire will receive PHP10,000 AICS and PHP5,000 for partially burned houses.

Antique has PHP165.6 million recorded damage on rice crops as of April 11. (PNA)