Marinduque identifies high drought risk towns

BOAC, Marinduque — Three southern municipalities in Marinduque have been designated as the province’s most drought-vulnerable areas, prompting local authorities to step up agricultural aid, water distribution planning, and livestock protection ahead of projected dry conditions across Southern Luzon.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office identified Torrijos, Buenavista, and Gasan as highly susceptible to rainfall deficits compared with northern towns like Boac, Mogpog and Santa Cruz.

The local disaster office has processed a P500,000 procurement request for drought-resistant seeds to assist affected farmers, with purchase orders currently pending final approval.

An additional P500,000 was allocated to the Provincial Veterinary Office to fund an Animal Health Caravan offering mass vaccinations, deworming, and disease prevention.

The veterinary drive has covered approximately 60 percent of its target beneficiaries in Gasan and is scheduled to move next to Mogpog.

To prepare for water supply disruptions, the Provincial Engineering Office is surveying local water sources to map emergency supply points for each municipality. The provincial disaster office maintains a 16,000-liter water tanker for deployment to communities facing acute water shortages.

The province has designated P21.1 million under its 2026 Quick Response Fund, alongside P3 million for emergency stockpiling and P1 million for climate-resilient agriculture, fisheries, and livestock support. For 2027, officials proposed raising the Quick Response Fund to P23.35 million.

The local preparations come as state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned that several provinces in the Calabarzon and Mimaropa regions could experience severe meteorological drought by January 2027.