• 9 months ago
Unang Balita is the news segment of GMA Network's daily morning program, Unang Hirit. It's anchored by Arnold Clavio, Susan Enriquez, Ivan Mayrina, and Mariz Umali, and airs on GMA-7 Mondays to Fridays at 5:30 AM (PHL Time). For more videos from Unang Balita, visit http://www.gmanetwork.com/unangbalita.

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Transcript
00:00 We are still here in San Miguel, Bulacan
00:03 and I am in the middle of one of the farms
00:06 where we can see how much the El Nino effect has been.
00:11 And we can see here, the ground I am stepping on
00:14 is really dry because there is no water coming out of their farm.
00:23 What the farmers are telling us is that
00:25 by March, their crops should be higher in the fields
00:32 and they can really harvest this March.
00:35 But we can see that it is really dry
00:38 and 100% of their crops are not harvested.
00:45 If we compare this to other places,
00:51 we can see that there are still some green crops in the faraway places
00:57 because the owners of those farms
01:01 are getting water from their own wells.
01:06 But some farmers, like the owner of this farm,
01:12 do not have their own wells.
01:13 That is why they are not getting water.
01:17 And the authorities cannot give them water.
01:24 At this point, we will talk to Glenn Ortiz.
01:27 He is an agriculturalist of the local government of San Miguel, Bulacan.
01:32 Good morning to you all.
01:33 Sir, come here.
01:34 Come closer. It is a bit difficult so be careful.
01:37 Alright, good morning.
01:39 Good morning.
01:39 First of all, we saw how big and wide the effect is
01:44 of the El Nino plant.
01:46 Is this also the situation we see in other farms here in San Miguel, Bulacan?
01:54 Yes, in this barangay, Sacdalan,
01:57 this is the widest area that has been damaged by the El Nino plant.
02:01 It is in almost 200 to 300 hectares.
02:08 In other barangays, there are also around 100 hectares.
02:13 But in the whole of San Miguel, out of 49 barangays,
02:16 we have 25 barangays that have been affected by the El Nino plant.
02:22 Alright, so what we are saying is that there is no water.
02:28 Others, at least, have a well.
02:30 How about those who don't have one?
02:32 Do we have people who can help them?
02:35 Are we really just going to wait for the next season?
02:39 Or will the local government still be able to help
02:44 to save the other green areas that we see here?
02:50 Yes, regarding those who have been affected,
02:53 we have already done a damage assessment in our town.
03:00 Those who have been affected have already been insured
03:05 with Philippine Crop Insurance.
03:06 We have already helped them to report quickly
03:11 to all the farmers here in San Miguel
03:14 so that they can get some resources
03:19 that they can use for their next cropping.
03:22 Here in our town, we are currently planning
03:27 to plant high value crops here,
03:31 such as water impounding or alternative crops
03:38 that they can temporarily plant.
03:42 That is what I wanted to ask.
03:44 Earlier, I asked the farmers here
03:47 if they have high value crops that they can give them.
03:50 They said that they don't have any.
03:51 Yes, we are planning to give them some.
03:55 So you will give them some?
03:55 Yes.
03:56 They are saying that they have insured crops
04:02 but they still haven't received any help.
04:05 Yes, regarding the insurance,
04:06 we are currently doing some processes.
04:09 We are still looking into it under CIN
04:12 and Philippine Crop Insurance.
04:14 But as of now, we have already reported to all the farmers.
04:20 This week, we might be able to validate it
04:23 with Crop Insurance.
04:24 Alright. Thank you very much for the information
04:26 that you have given us and for your time.
04:29 We hope that, especially those who are affected by the crop,
04:33 that they will be given help,
04:35 such as high value crops,
04:37 and the assistance in the process of insurance
04:39 so that they can still have a livelihood
04:42 even if this is how their crops were received.
04:44 Yes.
04:45 Thank you very much.
04:46 I am Glenn Ortiz,
04:47 the Agriculturist of the Local Government of San Miguel, Bulacan.
04:51 [News broadcast]
05:03 [Music]

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