NP-NPC-LDP vice presidential  bet Loren Legarda, who campaigns in Mindanao this week, concurred with a study that El Niño will likely send millions into poverty or deeper into poverty this year.

Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director Dr. Arsenio Balisacan said that even if the 2009 poverty statistics do not include the effects of the El Niño, poverty will likely increase by around 2 percentage points to 35% from 2006’s 33%. But, when the effects of the El Niño are included, poverty could increase by 3 to 5 percentage points, or up to 38% this year.

“We already see El Nino’s effects on the countryside.  Our farmers and fisherfolk - whether in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao - already feel the devastation with the low harvest and loss of livelihood. Government should extend special support to them. It is unjust that the country’s food producers are the ones who are going hungry,” said Loren.

Loren has instructed the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM), which she chairs, to direct local agriculture extension workers to assist farmers and fisher folk access fund, build their irrigation, market their products and create alternative sources of income.