To aid the farmers and fishermen in sustaining the needs of their families amid the onslaught of El Niño damaging their crops, the Office of the President (OP) has given financial assistance to selected beneficiaries in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

“The help provided by different departments is continuous. Added to that was actually the help from the Office of the President,” Task Force El Niño spokesperson Asec. Joel Villarama said in a radio interview on Friday.

He said P10 million in cash aid was extended to Zamboanga City, P14.2 million to Zamboanga del Norte, P14.3 million to Zamboanga del Sur, and P20.3 million to Zamboanga Sibugay.

Under the assistance, P10,000 in cash aid will be given to family farmers and fisher-beneficiaries.

Villarama said that excess calamity funds received by local government units should be used according to the governor’s discretion, as long as they are given to the El Niño-affected population.

Citing reports from weather bureau PAGASA, Villarama said that El Niño is weakening, but its critical effects may persist until the next few weeks of this month.

He further used the analogy of a plugged iron to explain the current situation in the Philippines under the weather phenomenon.

“The analogy that PAGASA always uses is like an iron. In January and February, the iron was plugged in; in March, it was unplugged, but the heat remains. So the heat index is still increasing, and we still experience hot weather. That affects our agriculture, fisheries, and health,” he said.

Villarama, however, said that despite El Niño’s waning, the public must remain alert to its possible effects.

At present, 276 cities and municipalities are under a state of calamity due to El Niño, including nine entire provinces and one entire region, which is the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The Department of Agriculture recently reported that the country has now suffered P5.9 billion worth of production losses due to El Niño, with rice crops incurring the biggest crop damage amounting to P3.1 billion, followed by corn with an estimated value loss of P1.76 billion.