Thousands of farmers, mostly indigenous peoples, in Southern Mindanao march to the Department of Social Work and Development Office (DSWD) in Davao City on Wednesday morning, Oct. 26 to demand the release of their calamity fund in the aftermath of the long dry spell in 2015 toward summer of this year. They march back to their temporary shelter in barangay Barangay 5-A Bankerohan Gym here. (Medel V. Hernani/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Thousands of farmers, mostly indigenous peoples, from nearby towns in the region trooped to Davao on Tuesday to demand for farm subsidies and food aid, citing the effects of the dry spell as continuing to make life difficult.
Among them was farmer Timoteo Bonghanoy from Matan-ao, Davao del Sur who was plowing his one-hectare of land for 40 years.
Bonghanoy, who is a spokesman for the local farmers’ organization Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma SA Davao del Sur, described their harvest as “a failure” during the El Niño.
“Last year when there was no El Niño, I was able to harvest 100 sacks of corn, but now I only got five sacks of corn,” the 59-year-old farmer said.
Meager income
In an interview with Davao Today Thursday, Bonghanoy said a corn farmer in the upland can only earn P1,000 to P2,000 a month.
“It’s not enough, so we are forced to work on the farms of those who are well-off,” he said.
As a laborer, Bonghanoy is paid P170 to P200 a day for eight hours of work.
Still, it was not enough for him to provide for his family, he said.
Demand for farm inputs, food aid
Some 800 farmers from Davao del Sur were among the 6,000 farmers who demanded for the government’s support. The farmers were temporarily sheltered in four barangay gymnasiums in the city before they left Davao Thursday afternoon.
On Tuesday, the farmers went to the Department of Agriculture Field Office 11 here to demand for farm tools and farm subsidies to aid them in recovering from El Niño.
Renante Mantos, chairperson of Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Walog Compostela said the DA gave 20 sacks of rice and corn seedlings, 40 bags of vegetable seedlings, 2,000 banana tree saplings of different varieties, 500 cassava seedlings and five knapsack sprayers.
Read: Farmers, DA agree on farming assistance
Mantos said they were also able to get 12,000 food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
Mantos said each food pack consists of six kilos rice, canned goods and coffee.
But he said, a pack would only suffice a family with six members for two days.
DA pledges continuous support
Mantos said on Nov. 4, they will meet again with the officials of the government agencies to discuss about how they can get continuous assistance, especially with the onset of the rainy season that is also seen to affect farmers’ production.
He said there will be a regular monthly meeting with the DA in the region which will fall every first Friday of the month.
In an interview with Davao Today, DA Regional Director Ricardo Oñate, Jr., said they will continue to support the farmers.
“As long as the DA XI could provide, this will be continuous,” Oñate said.
As of May this year, the DA has allocated P43 million budget for the damaged areas in the region.
The DA previously declared 10 areas from Davao del Sur, three from Davao del Norte, four from Davao Oriental and one from Compostela Valley as under state of calamity due to El Niño.
Meanwhile, Mantos said they will also meet with the regional officials of DSWD. He said they will also discuss the mechanisms on how the agency can aid the farmers.
He also said they are requesting for 15,000 sacks of rice per province from the DSWD.
“We hope the government can provide us with enough support for relief and rehabilitation,” Mantos said.
The meeting on Wednesday was attended by local farmers group affiliated with the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas from Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley Province, Digos City, Davao Occidental, Marita C. Pimentel from the Office of DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, Assistant Regional Director for Administration of DSWD Ma. Villa Vigil, Social Welfare Officers Pedrita Demakiling who heads the Community Based Services Unit and Erna Sampiano who heads the Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Operation Unit. (With reports from Earl O. Condeza/davaoto
