The Department of Agriculture (DA) is confident that Tropical Cyclone Tino is unlikely to disrupt the country’s rice supply, but warned of possible significant losses in corn production across the Visayas and parts of Mindanao.

“We’re not too worried about rice since the harvest is almost complete in major producing provinces and most of the affected regions are not major producing areas,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Wednesday.

“But we may have an issue with corn because about 33,000 hectares of cornfields were affected by Tino.”

The DA has ordered all regional field offices to conduct rapid damage assessments and prepare for a potentially stronger typhoon that could hit Northern Luzon over the weekend. 

To aid recovery, the DA will distribute P255 million worth of farm inputs—including rice, corn, and vegetable seeds, fingerlings, and biologics—to affected farmers and fisherfolk.

Fishers may also receive aid for repairing fishing gear and boats, as well as fuel assistance, according to Tiu Laurel.

The Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. was directed to fast-track insurance claims, while the Agricultural Credit Policy Council will provide up to P25,000 in loans under the Survival and Recovery Loan Program.

To ensure food availability, the National Food Authority has readied 2.6 million bags of rice for distribution to local government units and relief agencies. Additional rice will be sold through Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets at P20 per kilo.

Power interrupted

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy and its attached agencies reported widespread power outages caused by flooding in several provinces. 

Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella, who chairs the Task Force on Energy Resiliency, said around 1.4 million households or about 7 million customers were affected, including those served by private utilities.

“About 1.3 million were under the National Electrification Administration and 100,000 under the National Power Corp., but we’re still counting those in private distribution utilities,” Fuentebella said, adding that field patrols were ongoing.

However, Fuentebella assured that fuel supply still remains sufficient.

Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin, meanwhile, noted that the outages left an estimated seven million customers without electricity following Typhoon Tino’s onslaught. 

She said restoration teams are working round-the-clock but urged the public to wait until conditions are safe for linemen to access damaged areas.

“We are appealing to the public, especially those hardly hit, to wait until our men can safely restore the lines,” Garin said. 

“I understand it’s about 7 million people that are affected. Pero malaki din tong trabaho na to. But we are assuring you that we are working hard. Kahit gabi na, nagtatrabaho na yung mga tao. So we can restore it within a few hours.”