With late Cabinet briefing and the chief executive’s no show
Peasants, fisherfolk ‘hardly hit’ by Rolly; tens of thousands of homes destroyed
By Alvin James B. Magno
As Super Typhoon Rolly ravaged the country on Sunday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported a P1.75 billion damage to the agriculture sector as strong winds and heavy rains lashed the agricultural lands of Bicol and Southern Tagalog Region, leaving 26,948 peasants empty-handed up until the next harvesting season.
Airing the plight of the farmers on the recent typhoon, progressive peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) chairperson Danilo Ramos blamed the Duterte administration’s lack of urgency in disaster preparedness for Rolly that led to the loss of 115,980 metric tons (MT) of rice, corn and other high-value crops.
“The Duterte government’s extreme negligence and delayed response all the more worsened Typhoon Rolly’s aftermath and damages. In the past 48 hours and especially while the Earth’s strongest typhoon of the year was lashing at the country, President Duterte is nowhere to be found while his Cabinet and minions acted as if there is no emergency and calamity situation,” Ramos said.
The agriculture department spokesperson Noel Reyes attempts to tone down the conversation to the public as he explained that the agricultural output is minimal because most of the crops were already harvested.
However, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Monetary Board member and Former Agriculture Undersecretary V.Bruce Tolentino have pointed out that the authorities should have warned the farmers on the effects of the super typhoon, which it might have avoided the massive agricultural damages and economic loss that Typhoon Rolly brought to the Bicol Region.
Moreover, the peasant leader also told that the farmers and fishermen have not yet recovered from the P2.1 billion damages brought by Typhoon Quinta, as the help that they received from the agriculture department was not enough to regain the normal state of their sectors.
“The Department of Agriculture’s rehab aid to typhoon-stricken farmers and fisherfolk is not enough. Farmers need much more than 133 bags of rice seeds, 17,000 bags of corn seeds, 2,000 bags of assorted vegetable seeds, and 10-million tilapia and bangus fingerlings,” he explained.
In addition, as the nation endures the effects of the super typhoon, Brgy. Sineguelasan, an urban poor fishing community in Bacoor, Cavite was devastated by fire on Sunday night, leaving fishermen in that area homeless and out of a livelihood.
Veronica Alphorha, a professor from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) in UP Los Baños, explained that the community is in the hot eyes of the public and private sectors since there are plans to reclaim the area that they are residing on.
“In the midst of a super typhoon in the middle of a pandemic, a fisherfolk community in Bacoor, w/c has been receiving arson threats is being ravaged by fire. Strong winds make the fire spread a lot faster. This is the plan of the Diamond Reclamation project,” she stated on her Twitter account.
Families that went homeless
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported that 71,176 houses in Bicol were damaged or destroyed by Super Typhoon Rolly on Monday, with 55,515 of these partially damaged.
In Catanduanes alone, over 10,000 houses were destroyed from flash floods, according to Representative Hector Sanchez. Data shows that 10,000 small houses were completely washed out to the coastlines and 3,000 big houses were destroyed in the province.
Overall, according to the recent data by OCD-Bicol, at least 372,381 persons in the region were left homeless due to the destruction.
The threat of the typhoon moved people to evacuation centers on which thousands of families needed relief packs. This incident mobilized youth-led donation drives and relief efforts spearheaded by Tabang Catanduanes, Tulong Kabataan, and other youth organizations to those affected by the typhoon in the badly-struck provinces.
Peasants’ struggles
Despite the relief efforts that they initiated to help the farmers in a certain period, KMP’s Ramos uttered his massive disappointment to the president, as the negligence led to the loss of livelihood of farmers and their daily food.
“How can a President stay still and sleep soundly while thousands of Filipinos are trying to survive Typhoon Rolly. Duterte’s Noynoying is worse… Sa ngayon at sa mga susunod na buwan, walang pagkain at kabuhayan ang mga magsasaka. Matatagalan pa ulit bago nila mataniman ang mga palayan at sakahan na natabunan ng lahar at buhangin,” he stated.
