A new law that already needs to be amended

We are deep into summer now, and we are certainly feeling it. Though a tropical country, the high temperatures registering almost every day, even in the summer capital, are indeed alarming.

Climate change is very much here and now.

Well, we as a country have started reacting to this global challenge. We have recently passed the Climate Change Law and created a climate change council to coordinate efforts of the different line agencies towards mitigating the effects of climate change. The recent Climate Change Congress saw a convergence of government, civil society and even religious leaders led by Archbishop Antonio Ledesma in serious discussion about climate change.

The Department of Agrarian Reform is promoting sustainable projects like the Agrarian Reform Communities where beneficiaries of the agrarian reform are formed into model communities empowered to improve their land and make them more productive through technology and proper management. In the process, they increase their income as farmers. They are engaged not only in farming but in livelihood ventures as well. For instance, for coconut farmers, they can engage in the production of virgin coconut oil, coco coir which is used to control soil erosion along major highways, and production of accessories and bags from the coconut shell.

The DAR is also getting the farmers into agro-forestry. What is exciting here is these farmers are taught how to create carbon dioxide sinks where carbon dioxide is sequestered from the atmosphere and registered as carbon credit collector areas, now a global undertaking. For every ton of CO2 collected, these farmers earn at least $10.

In this latest climate change congress, one of the resource persons was Georges Dadivas, president of SALIKA and a member of the Eco Waste Coalition. He was invited as the national representative of the Luzon-Calabarzon area. His main concern, as told to us, was the recovery and rehabilitation of the country’s water shed areas. Though everyone in the group agreed with him, one of the more disturbing disclosures of Mr. Dadivas was, apparently, much of our water shed areas in Marikina have been privatized. Meaning, much of this land has been sold to private developers, so government and other agencies can no longer exercise control over these lands. He adds that this is true for water sheds in other areas in the NCR as well.

How can these water sheds just be titled to private developers without taking into account the possible repercussions?

You and I know that much of the water that Ondoy unleashed on us last year came from the Marikina area. If we don’t recover and rehabilitate these water sheds, Ondoy can become an annual event in the National Capital Region.

There is much reforestation to be done in this country of denuded forests. We cannot help but envy the rain forests of other countries like Brazil which we once had plenty of. We need to plant endemic trees like Narra and Yakal and Kamagong, not imported trees like Mahogany which do not thrive well in our soil and climate. We need to go organic and change our mind set on chemical fertilizers and pesticides which are poisoning our soil. We need to act now.

Before I forget, Mr. George Dadivas also laments the fact that the Climate Change Commission which was recently created has no teeth—it is just a recommendatory and coordinating body. In the congress, they discussed the possibility of amending the Climate Change Law and putting more teeth to the commission.

Point well taken, because what good is a recommendatory commission if there were no specific agency within the government that will police and implement crucial policies?

More on El Niño

Since we’re on the subject of climate change anyway, we got more figures on the damage that El Nino has wrought on our farmlands.

According to the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, they have been receiving so many claims this year. So far, the claims have totaled some P85 million and this is only for rice and corn. By the end of April, this could very well go up to P100 million—andstill counting.

Right now, the PCIC has limited funds. The Department of Agrarian Reform has pledged to give them P1.5 billion for the crop insurance program.

As a bit of history, the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation started in 1981. Between the period from 1981 to 2001, or a 20-year span, the agency has insured some 4 million farmers. Of the total sum insured of P48 billion, the agency has paid indemnity to farmers to the tune of P3 billion.

El Niño has destroyed about 2,000 hectares of rice, corn and other high-value crops. We’re talking here of Regions 1 to 12, and the agency expects to indemnify some 6,000 farmers and 9,000 hectares of totally damaged farms. That’s why, as of today, the total indemnity stands at P85 million.

Like many Filipinos, insurance is not a primary consideration. The need only hits us when the losses stare us in the face. However, the benefits that may be derived from insuring your crops are quite real, so I hope more farmers realize the advantage of getting crop insurance. They have diversified their products so that now, even high-value crops can be insured, unlike before when only palay and corn were considered for insurance. They have likewise offered non-crop insurance that covers warehouses and power tools. Now, PCIC covers livestock like cattle, carabaos, goats and sheep. And their latest product which they will introduce this year is the fisheries and aquaculture insurance, which must have our fish pond owners breathing a sigh of relief. I’ve known of many fisheries owners who have lost the shirts on their back with just one big typhoon. I myself have ventured into it on a small scale and got burned in the process.

The premiums are highly subsidized as well. The government is shouldering 55 percent of the premium. For their part, the PCIC is giving 15 percent premium discount, making the subsidy a total of 70 percent. That leaves only 30 percent of the total premium to be shouldered by the farmer. That looks like a pretty good deal to me.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.       

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