Ilocano farmers ready for El Niño

SAN JUAN, ILOCOS SUR , Philippines  —Farmers in Ilocos region are concerned but not alarmed by the likely recurrence of El Niño, thanks to the private initiative to build water impounding dams.

Rep. Salvador H. Escudero III, a two-time Agriculture secretary, visited these dams this week to inspect the condition of those already in existence and the progress of the construction work of those just being built to make sure they are ready if the drought comes. 

The state weather bureau has already warned about the 90 percent possibility of El Niño, which might start late this month, and asked those concerned, especially the agriculture sector, to prepare for it.

Among those that Escudero visited was the catch basin in Barangay Casilagan Norte, Banayoyo, Ilocos Sur, which was built at the cost of P2.56 million to collect runoff water during the rainy season for use during the dry months. It can store 15,000 cubic meters of water and irrigate at least 60 hectares of land.

He also went to nearby Sitio Tapao, barangay Cammanggan, San Juan, Ilocos Sur for the possibility of another impounding dam. He was accompanied by San Juan Mayor Benjamin V. Sarmiento and project contractor Cesario Gemino Jr.

These and other water impounding dams in Cagayan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte are the concrete realization of a dream of a businessman, Dr. Lucio C. Tan, who has already spent P12 million and plans to spend more to rehabilitate old dams and build new ones.

Tan is using his Tan Yan Kee Foundation and Fortune Tobacco Corp. for these water impounding projects after anticipating the drought five years ago during a visit in Ilocos. He learned that farmers were getting water from the aquifer through 10-15-foot deep wells that allow seawater to seep into the water table, causing bigger natural disaster with damaged soil and rotten plants

The taipan tapped Escudero because the latter has been the apostle of water impounding dams, launching a program for this during his watch. Unfortunately, many of these dams were left in disrepair.

Because of the dams, Ilocano farmers can now plant two rice crops and a tobacco crop a year, boosting their income. It used to be only one rice crop and one tobacco crop a year.

Tan admits to benefit from the water impounding dams because it will assure steady source of tobacco for his cigarette plant, but the biggest beneficiary are the farmers because the resulting additional crop is rice, not tobacco, which does not go to him.

These dams are not really intended for tobacco, which is usually planted in December when there is still enough water and harvested by March just at the onset of dry season.

Ilocos is wet from May to October and is dry the rest of the year. The farmers suffer water shortage during the second cropping season due to very minimal rainfall.

In the case of Patpata, Balaoan, La Union, its two old dams now hold 73,000 cubic meters of water that can irrigate at least 30 hectares of rice field, making it possible for a second rice crop and, thus, additional food source and more income.

Tan also revived the diversion dam in Barangay Quiling, Batac, Ilocos Norte a t a cost of P3.67 million, the line canal in Barangay Garab, Iguig, Cagayan at a cost of P0.96 million, the earth canal in Barangay Dadda, Tuguegarao, Cagayan at a cost of P0.96 million, and the diversion dam in Barangay Silag, Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur at a cost of P3.73 million.