Government urged to help fishers and farmers hit by ‘Ursula’
Damaged fisherfolk community in Panay island. Photo by Pamanggas-Panay. 
Damaged fisherfolk community in Eastern Samar. Photo by CDRC.
Manila, Philippines – As the damage to agriculture and fisheries caused by typhoon Ursula has reached to P1 billion, while death toll rises to 47, a group of small fishers on Monday appealed to the national and local government to help the typhoon victims, mostly fishers and farmers, whose livelihood were devastated by the typhoon.
Citing the Department of Agriculture (DA), the fishers group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) said that P571.58 million worth of agricultural products and P569 million worth of fisheries were damaged in Region IV-B, as well as in the three Visayas regions – Eastern, Western, and Central Visayas, after typhoon Ursula hit the central archipelago in Christmas eve.
“We humbly appeal to the national and local government units to immediately disperse aid to the fishers and farmers whose livelihood were ravaged by the last typhoon to hit the country this year,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson said in a statement.
The fishers group said “the government should mobilize its rehabilitation funds to provide assistance to the rural sector in the most affected regions and provinces”.
“Our rural sectors who endured the recent typhoon were not able to have a joyful celebration of the yuletide season due to the natural disaster that struck their communities. Government’s help in a form of livelihood support and economic relief is urgently needed so that the affected rural people could kick off the New Year with a fresh start. The best gift that the typhoon-affected farmers and fishers could receive this holiday is for them to return to their wheels of production,” ended Hicap. ###
