By RANDY FELIX P. MALAYAO
www.nordis.net

“The protest was politically motivated” thus said the Secretary of Agriculture Proceso Alcala. “Hindi grabe ang kalagayan doon,” he added. Simply put, he said there is no reason to protest, there is more than enough food.

I beg to disagree. The NFA warehouses must be full but who could afford to buy rice? It is the season of death, muerto. Ilocanos would call it “gawat”, panawen ti bisin (hunger). Ibanags call it “carescha” or scarcity.

Res ipsa loquitur. Figures speak for themselves. The following should debunk the secretary’s argumento.

From the Secretary’s very own Department of Agriculture, it has reported the following:

1. There are a total of 252,176 hectares of agricultural land have been affected by the El Niño from February 2015 to March 14, 2016. These resulted in a loss of 383,743 metric tons in agricultural production equivalent to P5.53 billion.

2. Agricultural damage from January to March this year alone have already amounted to P2.1 billion.

3. An estimated P3.43 billion was lost to the effects of El Niño last year.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has announced that:

1. Since 2015, a total of 6 provinces, 12 cities, 17 municipalities, and 2 barangays have been declared under a state of calamity because of El Niño.

2. Regions 2, 10 and 12 have been suffering the worst from this El Nino, each of them losing more than P1 billion in agricultural productions.

3. Isabela and Cotabato have been affected the most, with more than P1 billion in total damage in each of the two provinces as of March 14, 2016.

4. Isabela was placed under a state of calamity due to El Niño in August 2015 while Cotabato was placed under a state of calamity in January 2016. The other provinces that declared a state of calamity were Bukidnon, Davao del Sur, Maguindanao and Quirino.

Cotabato and Isabela are listed as the worst hit by El Nino. Hunger is indeed so real, Mr. Secretary.

Dire situation in CV since 2015

In Isabela, a total damage of P750,439,000 in corn or 58,000 MT and P187,697,300.30 in rice or 14.60 MT have been recorded by the DA. More than 61,000 hectares of corn fields were affected with massive losses in the 25 towns (out of 36) and the cities of Ilagan and Cauayan.

In Quirino, a total of 322.5 million worth of damage to agriculture has been recorded. Damage to corn reached 245,897,649 pesos while damage to rice was pegged at 72,145,115 pesos. Damage to vegetable plantations and fishponds reached 4.5 million pesos. A total of 12,748 hectares of corn plantations are severely damaged; 3,674 hectares of rice fields are partially damaged; and 117 hectares vegetable plantations, partially damaged.

In Batanes, the northernmost island province in the country known to be perennially hit by typhoon experienced prolonged dry spell. Provincial Agriculture Office reported a total damage of P12 million worth of crops and livestock.

In Cagayan, ten municipalities and the city of Tuguegarao in the southern part of Cagayan are affected. PDRRMC reported that the total damage is worth around P85 million (partially damaged rice and corn plantations).

In Nueva Vizcaya, the total damage in rice and vegetable plantations is estimated at 33 million pesos. More than 1,500 hectares vegetable plantations have been damaged. The province is a known producer of vegetables in the region like cabbage, lettuce, carrots, potato, beans, broccoli and cauliflower.

Major sources of irrigation water like Magat dam also dried up to below the normal level. Magat Dam irrigates 110,000 hectares of rice and corn farms in Isabela and parts of Cagayan and Quirino.

In the last quarter of 2015, the people were still reeling from the damage brought by the drought from January to September when two typhoons, Lando and Nona, struck in October and December. These resulted to massive floodings in Cagayan and Isabela and some parts of Nueva Vizcaya.

More protests

With all these natural calamities – drought and typhoons, most farmers are further driver to deep misery and deprivation. They have long been suffering from high land rents, rock bottom prices of their farm products, lack of capital, high cost of farm inputs, usurious interest rates, lack of security in land ownership, and almost nil government support.

With the onslaught of El Nino, some have already opted to just sell their labor under low wages. Some have engaged in carabao logging and slash and burn. Not a few turn to anti-social activities and prostitution.

In solidarity with the farmers of Cotabato, hundreds of peasants from Southern Isabela staged an indignation protest rally at Jones, Isabela. Other demands include moratorium on loan’s interest payments, scrapping of onerous credit conditions and called for urgent financial and food aid.

Mr. Secretary, with the lingering El Nino, more similar hunger protests are coming. And yes, it is for food not bullets! # nordis.net