ILOILO City – Forty-nine-year-old Remi Galvan of Iloilo province has been into farming as a livelihood for 20 years already.
When super typhoon “Yolanda” struck Iloilo and the rest of Western Visayas in 2013, unfortunately, his three hectares of palay as well vegetable garden were all devastated. Worst, his farmland was not insured.
Because his family of seven relied on farming, Remi had to start from scratch. He found the way to start again by seeking a loan.
“Kabudlay kay nangutang pa ko para may magamit liwat sa panguma. Waay man ako sang dalaganan pa nga iban (It was really hard. I needed to secure a loan so I could start farming again. I have no one to run to during those times),” said Remi.
Remi had to pay for the interest from so-called loan sharks that had eaten up the bulk of his income. He hinted that it could have been easier if there was available assistance from the government at an affordable rate payable by small farmers like him.
Remi was elated with the proposed program of Ilocos Norte governor Imee Marcos that farmers who have experiences like him should be given immediate intervention.
Marcos, the only local government official who is running for senator in next year’s midterm polls, said the government must give “LIFE” to farmers affected by disasters as a form of immediate intervention for a quick turnaround for lost crops, while ensuring ample supply of cheap food for all Filipinos.
“LIFE” stands for Living Income for Farmers in Emergency situations. She believes this would help farmers survive and restore their farms to productivity.
Specifically, Marcos pushed that farmers must be given work to earn income to feed their families, in addition to free seeds, fertilizers, farm implements and credit assistance. She proposed that these initiatives be implemented immediately while farms hit by typhoons and other calamities are being rehabilitated.
“Simply put, in times of calamities or disasters and other emergency situations, farmers are always at a disadvantage. They have no income because their crops were destroyed. Agarang tulong ang kailangan nila (immediate help is what they need),” Marcos stressed.
Marcos said they can earn living wages by repairing dikes, water catchments, farm roads and other damaged public infrastructure.
Marcos also urged the government to lift restrictions on the use of calamity funds of local government units during times of calamities or emergencies to allow local government units (LGUs) to quickly release funds to affected farmers.
“We owe it to our farmers to ensure they have living income. Those who feed this nation should not be left to fend for themselves in emergency situations. LGUs can accomplish this if their hands are not tied in releasing calamity funds,” she said./PN
