DR. LIZA QUIROG
Liza Migriño-Quirog, head of the Office of Provicial Agriculture (OPA), has been appointed as the lead for the operational plan for agricultural audit compliance by the Capitol leadership, a role assigned by Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado.
Aumentado has assigned Larry Pamugas to take on the post of Quirog at OPA.
Quirog’s responsibilities will include addressing audit observations from the Commission on Audit (COA), drafting and implementing action plans, and overseeing related activities.
Quirog confirmed that all activities related to the audit observation have been completed and the Capitol has submitted its response to the COA.
El Niño has caused extensive damage to agriculture, leading to the declaration of a state of calamity in Bohol, media reports said.
With this declaration, calamity funds are now accessible and can be used for mitigation efforts and assistance to calamity victims.
Quirog explained that 70% of the calamity fund is allocated for disaster preparedness, while the remaining 30% is for disaster response.
The declaration of the state of calamity has made the 30% of the fund available to alleviate the impact of the calamity on victims.
Approximately 70% of the funds have been utilized for activities aimed at mitigating the effects of El Niño, including P2.5 million allocated for cloud seeding activities.
The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) has procured water hoses and water drums from other fund sources to aid farmers affected by the drought.
Quirog believes that the fund should be used to assist affected communities who are unable to produce agricultural products due to the drought.
However, she expressed concerns about whether the procurement process would be swift enough to meet the needs of the victims in a timely manner.
Leonardo Zamar of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) advised Quirog that the country is now transitioning from El Niño to normal weather conditions.
Quirog revealed that the OPA has already requested funds for projects aimed at cushioning the effects of El Niño.
Although the funds for these projects were released, they were not implemented because the procurement is being handled by the Provincial Procurement and Management Unit (PPMU), led by Provincial Legal Officer Handel Lagunay.
To make matters worse, the winning bidder failed to deliver the materials for irrigation support.
Quirog disclosed that the winning bidder had planned to source the materials from other suppliers.