As part of the measures to mitigate the effects of El Niño, the City Agriculture Office (CAO) launched recently the Barangay Bantay-Peste Task Force (BPPTF).
Enera Tuibeo, the city assistant agriculturist, said Monday the task force aims to reduce the possible outbreak of pests.
“Kaakibat kapag may El Niño, posibleng mayroong occurrence ng peste. Andiyan ‘yong daga, army worms or harabas sa tagalog, catworms mga uod, locusts, then plant hoppers o mga ngusong kabayo ‘yan, and daga. Expected ‘yan kapag tag-tuyot… ayan na ang kasunod dahil wala nang pagkain, bababa talaga ‘yan [ang mga peste] maghahanap ng pagkain, so ‘yong mga tanim natin, ‘yon ang possible,” Tuibeo said.
The task force, she said, is composed of barangay officials especially those who are under the committee on agriculture, officers and members of farmers’ association, and CAO’s extension workers assigned to different city barangays.
Tuibeo said that their office has not yet received any reports of pest infestation.
One of the tasks of the BBPTF is to help assess and monitor pest occurrences in barangay farms for early detection.
The task force has been organized in Barangays Sta. Lourdes, Bacungan, Sta. Cruz, Manalo, Maruyogon, Lucbuan, Babuyan, Concepcion, Tanabag, Binduyan, Langogan, Salvacion, Bahile, Macarascas, Buenavista, Tagabinet, Cabayugan, Bagong Bayan, Simpocan, Napsan, Irawan, Sicsican, Luzviminda, Mangingisda, and Inagawan Sub-Colony.
“Matagal na [nakapag-create ng task force] ‘yong Department of Agriculture (DA) pero ngayon kami nag-usap talaga, initiative namin na ‘Kailangan nating bumuo nito.’ Meron na rin kaming direktiba na kailangang bantayan ang mga tanim, pero ‘yon iyong isa sa aming strategy na magtatag kami ng Barangay Bantay-Peste Task Force,” she said.
