Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Wednesday, Oct. 21, urged the executive branch to consider declaring a national state of calamity over El Niño, as the Department of Agriculture (DA) raised its estimate of farm damage and losses to P8.57 billion.
“The executive department should seriously consider a state of calamity declaration so that we can better address the challenge of the Super El Niño,” Pangilinan said at the Senate finance committee hearing on the DA’s proposed 2027 budget.
Losses Climb
Pangilinan cited the DA’s figure of P6.87 billion as of Sept. 26, from its first El Niño bulletin, which covered 223,214 farmers. On the day of the hearing, the DA put damage and losses at P8.57 billion, affecting 288,058 farmers and 291,154 hectares in 14 regions. Corn accounted for P5 billion and rice for P2.95 billion. The DA said the figures are subject to validation.
Pangilinan also cited a DA projection that palay production could fall by 700,000 metric tons, which he said equals the yearly rice needs of about 3.6 million Filipinos.
Calamity Declarations
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has recorded state of calamity declarations in 106 cities and municipalities in five regions: 66 in Cagayan Valley, 23 in Caraga, 12 in Bicol, four in Calabarzon and one in Soccsksargen, according to its report as of Oct. 5. It counted 388,375 people affected.
The Office of Civil Defense said P7.864 billion in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund is available for El Niño response.
Aid Delivery
Pangilinan said only 2.53 million of 11.2 million targeted beneficiaries had received aid as of Oct. 6, and he called for faster distribution. The DA said it has provided P11.34 billion in interventions, mostly seeds, fertilizer and other farm inputs. It has also proposed a P61.99-billion El Niño action plan that includes P6.2 billion already released under the UPLIFT program.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told senators that farmers and fisherfolk face a “perfect storm” of climate threats, rising production costs and geopolitical shocks. He said a worst-case scenario could affect as many as 4.6 million of the 10.4 million Filipinos in agriculture.
Budget Fight
“The center of the 2027 DA budget should be water and irrigation,” Pangilinan said. The DA’s proposed 2027 budget is about P198.4 billion. Pangilinan’s push came amid proposed cuts for the DA and the National Irrigation Administration that were raised at the hearing.
PAGASA has warned that El Niño could become very strong before the end of 2026 and persist through the first half of 2027.
Why It Matters
Farm losses rose from P6.87 billion to P8.57 billion in less than four weeks, and Cagayan Valley accounts for most of the local calamity declarations. Pangilinan said a national declaration would help the government respond faster.
What to Watch
Malacañang has not said whether it will act on the call. The DA’s next bulletin will show whether losses keep rising as El Niño strengthens.
