By SHERYLIN UNTALAN, GMA Integrated News
Quezon’s annual celebration of the Niyogyugan Festival is underway, with the aim to help coconut farmers and promote tourism to the country’s top coconut-producing province.
“Kahapon binuksan ng Governor Helen Tan ang festival ng lalawigan ng Quezon…Ito rin po ay part ng pagdiriwang po ng araw ni Manuel Quezon sa August 19, kaya po ito po ay halos month-long preparation,” Gumaca, Quezon Mayor Webster Letargo said at the public briefing on Thursday.
(Yesterday, Governor Helen Tan opened the festival of the province of Quezon. This is also part of the celebration of Manuel L. Quezon Day on August 19, so this is almost a month-long preparation.)
“May ibat-ibang events, street dancing, iba’t-ibang produkto ng towns in Quezon na matatagpuan po sa kapitolyo, sa Lucena,” he added.
(There are various events, street dancing, and products from the towns in Quezon that will be found in the capitol in Lucena.)
El Niño
Letargo also said the province is preparing for the possible effects of El Niño, which may be felt in the first quarter of 2024.
He said the Gumaca local government has alerted households and farmers to conserve water.
“Isa pong pangunahing problema ng bayan namin ay tubig, at isa yan sa pangangailangan ng magsasaka. Nagkaroon na po ng mga pagpupulong at sa aming disaster risk and reduction office. Inaasahan naman po namin na aalayayan po kami ng Department of Agriculture at Provincial Government of Quezon,” said Letargo.
(One of our town’s main problems is water, which is one of the farmers’ needs. There have already been meetings with our disaster risk and reduction office. We hope the Department of Agriculture and the Provincial Government of Quezon will support us.)
“Pinag-a-adjust naman po namin sila sa mga itatanim nila dahil yung mga may tanim po na kailangan ng tubig kagaya ng palay, meron naman pong mga makabagong teknolohiya ang DA para doon sa lesser water consumption na mga tinatanim po na palay,” he added.
(We told them to adjust what they will plant since for those crops that need water, such as rice, DA has modern technologies to have lesser water consumption.)
Letargo says they only have a few bodies of water in the province.
“Wala po kaming malaking ilog kaya talaga pong perennial problem ‘yan namin but puro po galing sa ilalim ng lupa ang aming tubig. Kakaunti po ‘yung galing sa ilog o malalaking mga bodies of water,” he said.
(We don’t have a big river, so that’s our perennial problem, but our water comes underground. Only a little is from rivers or large bodies of water.)
“Pero ‘till now po ay maayos pa po ang residents’ supply pero ‘yung iba po ay may mga sari-sariling dug wells,” he ensured.
(But until now, the residents’ supply is still good while the others have their dug wells.) — BM, GMA Integrated News
