Helping those who are down

There is a saying that goes, "it will look better in the morning." Sadly, that's not the case with the destruction caused by typhoon Lando. The most recent figures given by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council pegs damage at over P9.8 billion. More than P8.5 billion in agriculture and livestock were destroyed, while around P1.3 billion in infrastructure damaged. The death toll has climbed to 47, more than a week after the typhoon finally left the country. Thousands have been displaced, while several provinces, cities and towns were placed under a state of calamity. And while some towns were lauded for their preparation of the coming typhoon, the destruction wrought by Lando, the worst typhoon to hit the country this year, cannot be overlooked.

Prices of many items have almost doubled. Baguio was also hit hard by Lando, destroying millions in crops. This has caused a spike in the price of vegetables. Prices of some meat items have also increased, because of damage to livestock and infrastructure. Then there is the flooding of the country's rice bowl, Nueva Ecija. Even as the government assures there is enough supply of the staple food, it may be forced to import from other countries just to play it safe. These are the short-term effects of the typhoon that hopefully will correct soon. The long-term ones are the ones we should be concerned about.

Farmers have lost their crops. What they hoped to be some sort of a harvest because of the effects of El Niño has been washed away. The drought made things hard for them, while the rains wiped them out. As the floods subside, the prudent thing to do would be to start planting again. But that's easier said than done for poor farmers. They need money to buy the seeds, fertilizer and equipment to plant with. Because they did not profit from the crop that was washed away, they are now forced to borrow from loan sharks at preposterous rates. This starts a vicious cycle of having to borrow then paying through their noses, granting the harvest is a good one.

This is where government should step in. A simple case of helping people when they are down. If there are no banks for farmers to borrow money from, then the government should provide some program for them to get back on their feet. The fact that they have to approach loan sharks shows the lack of government support. These are the people who literally break their backs to feed the country. They should be taken care of. If there are places where the farmers can borrow money at a reasonable rate, then there is no need for the loan sharks to exist. Why they are even allowed to operate and prey on farmers is something that should be looked into. The last time I looked, usury is still a crime. There really is a lot to be said about people who benefit from the misery of others.

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