BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines – Banaue town in Ifugao province, where the famous rice terraces are located, has been placed under a state of calamity due to the continued dry spell caused by the El Niño phenomenon that has dried up rice fields.
“The terraces have practically dried up to the extent that even a slight rain could cause landslides,” said Banaue Mayor Lino Madchiw.
The dry spell has affected thousands of hectares of agricultural crops and livestock nationwide, and the drought now threatens Banaue’s world famous rice terraces, leaving the paddies parched and highly vulnerable to erosion.
The drought has damaged P65 million worth of palay, vegetables, fruits, and livestock.
Because of the drought, large earthworms have penetrated the paddies and endangered the terraces, which is a World Heritage Site and one of the country’s top tourist attractions.
The perceived lack of interest among young Ifugao natives to tend to the centuries-old terraces has aggravated the degradation of the terraces, sometimes referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”
The terraces begin at the base of the mountain range and extend several thousand feet upwards.
Two of the terrace clusters in Banaue, namely Bangaan and Batad, have been inscribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site. International experts have been sent by UNESCO to Banaue to help locals preserve the terraces.
Local officials of several towns in Luzon and the Visayas also plan to declare a state of calamity in their areas after agricultural crops and livestock have been wiped out by the current dry spell.
Rep. Anna York Bondoc of the fourth district of Pampanga reported yesterday that eight towns in her province are expected to declare a state of calamity in areas affected by the drought that threatens 14,000 hectares of rice land where irrigation water has been cut off.
President Arroyo is set to declare a power crisis in Mindanao and implement emergency measures costing almost P10 billion after the drought affected the hydroelectric power stations in the region.
The weather bureau reported that a moderate El Niño still prevails over the equatorial Pacific and may last until June.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) confirmed that 15 more provinces in Luzon have been experiencing a dry spell in the past three months.
Pagasa said Ifugao, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Mt. Province, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Bataan, Zambales, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal have experienced no rains in the past three months.
Pagasa administrator Prisco Nilo said the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino are now under drought conditions.
Nilo warned Metro Manila residents that the effects of El Niño could become critical starting this March and could last until May.
“If we don’t conserve water, we may face water shortage in Metro Manila,” said Nilo, adding that the water level is near critical at Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan.
The Banaue municipal government declared a state of calamity in the entire town to be able to use a portion of the P2-million local calamity fund to assist affected farmers.
Banaue was the second Ifugao town to be placed under a state of calamity after Alfonso Lista where the dry spell has killed hundreds of farm animals.
“At least 25 percent of the terraced rice farms have already been affected by the dry spell. (We fear) that our terraces will all be affected if the situation will continue for four more months,” Madchiw said.
The dry spell also put in peril the Tinawon red rice, Ifugao’s special rice variety which is sought after by both local and foreign tourists.
Besides its high economic value, the Tinawon rice is also part of Ifugao culture. It sells for P60 to P120 a kilo, making it a high-value crop.
“Many of our farmers are coming to us for help, asking for farm inputs and other related items to save their crops,” Madchiw said.
Ifugao Gov. Teodoro Baguilat said they might as well declare a state of calamity in the entire province since practically all towns have been affected by the worsening El Niño.
Malacañang called on officials to step out of their offices and personally take a look at the situation in their respective areas.
Deputy presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo, in an interview over Radyo ng Bayan, said the officials should take a hands-on approach in dealing with the problems brought by El Niño.
Saludo said officials should be more proactive and act on the requirements of the farmers faster.
“We are calling on our leaders and heads of government offices to find out directly and address the problems being faced by our farmers and other sectors because of El Niño,” Saludo said in Filipino.
Saludo said the government should provide more information on how to deal with El Niño.
“Let us stand with our people and join hands to give succor to the suffering. This will all come to an end and we will all emerge from this together,” he said.
Drought triggers repair of irrigation canals
Newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Bernie Fondevilla tried to find a silver lining to the El Niño phenomenon, saying the dry spell has prompted officials to repair irrigation systems and other infrastructure.
Fondevilla told reporters during the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo Hotel news forum that although the dry spell has already damaged P8 billion worth of crops, “the repair of damaged infrastructure can now go on unhampered.”
He said aside from the repair of damaged irrigation canals, construction of farm-to-market roads will go full blast to benefit farmers in far flung areas.
Fondevilla said if the El Niño continues, more infrastructure projects would be completed in preparation for the rainy season.
Among the hardest-hit areas are provinces in Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon and some parts of Negros island and Mindanao.
Fondevilla said some dams in Central Luzon are now pumping water to irrigate farms in the region.
Dennis Gana, spokesman of the National Power Corp., said the exclusive use of dams for irrigation would lead to higher electricity rates because power would no longer come solely from hydroelectric power plants.
Meanwhile, Agustin Molina, senior scientist and regional coordinator for the Asia-Pacific of the Rome-based Bioversity International, said the conversion of agricultural lands to residential and industrial uses is also adversely affecting the production of rice and other crops.
Molina said a study conducted by their group showed that corn, which Filipinos sometimes substitute for rice, has also been similarly affected, as have other cereals. “Cereals such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, and oats and potatoes will lose land suitable for their cultivation due to climate change by 2055,” Molina told The STAR yesterday. - With Marvin Sy and Teddy Molina