The Negros Occidental provincial government has enough disaster funds to mitigate the effect of the El Niño phenomenon, expected by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration to start in the last quarter of the year up the first quarter of 2016, Board Member Pedro Zayco said yesterday.

Zayco, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan committee on Disaster and Calamities, said the 5 Percent Calamity Fund of the province for this year is about P126 million, in addition to the remaining unspent disaster budget for 2013.

The budget for cloud seeding operations of the province in April was taken from its calamity fund, excluding for disaster training-related activities, he said.

Zayco said the SP as a whole will meet on September 23 for briefings on the preparations against the onslaught of the El Niño phenomenon by the provincial agriculturist, veterinarian and engineer.*GPB

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