LAOAG CITY, Feb. 21 -- Farmers from this city and the towns of Vintar, Bacarra, Solsona, Currimao, Pinili, Badoc, and Banna on Wednesday received at least five water pumps per city or municipality to help address the impact of the El Nino phenomenon.

The provisions are part of the Ilocos Norte Provincial Agriculture Office's measures to help farmers reeling from the impact of the dry spell, which, to date, has reportedly affected around 341 hectares of farmlands and has an estimated damage of around PHP12.2 million.

"A provincewide validation is ongoing as we have received reports on drought damages in some parts of Laoag, Bacarra, Dingras, Nueva Era, and Pasuquin," provincial agriculturist Maria Teresa Bacnat said in a media interview ...