A state of calamity was declared in the town of Dingras in Ilocos Norte due to the significant damage of the El Niño onslaught on its crops.

"Because Dingras is the rice granary of Ilocos Norte, the number one affected are the farmers. Their real concern is that their crops are destroyed," Halston Castro, head of the Dingras Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), said in a radio interview on Friday.

"Then their source of water, particularly in rural areas, their deep wells, there is no water," he added.

According to him, more than 30 percent of the livelihood of the farmers in their area is affected, resulting in their immediate intervention in ordering the establishment of additional deep wells and shallow tube wells for the farmers.

"The fastest intervention, which was ordered by our municipal agricultural officer, is the distribution of fuel subsidies to use the water pumps and get water for the crops," he added.

Moreover, some areas in the said town were reported to have been experiencing water shortages for three weeks.

"You know, here in Ilocos Norte, we are resilient, so our townmates here are quite strategic. Their friends and relatives give aid, and then the provincial government also extends help. So far, we're okay, we're getting along," Castro said.

On Friday, Sinait in Ilocos Sur is expected to have a heat index of 42°C, while Laoag City and Mariano Marcos State University in Batac in Ilocos Norte have a predicted temperature of 43°C.

The latest report from the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed that the value of damage to the country's agriculture sector caused by El Niño has climbed to P5.9 billion, with rice crops incurring the biggest production damage amounting to P3.1 billion.

At present, 131 cities and municipalities have been placed under a state of calamity due to the weather phenomenon, which includes the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Antique, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and South Cotabato.

So far, interventions worth P2.18 billion have been given to affected farmers and fishermen, including the provision of agricultural inputs such as cash aid and loans, rice machines, water pumps, and cloud seeding operations.