BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Although spared from severe flooding brought by Super Typhoon Julian, Dominador Rasay Jr. and his father still lost their harvest.
On September 26, days before the typhoon’s expected landfall, they quickly reaped over 100 sacks of fresh rice (palay), hoping to dry them under the sun the next day.
“We took the chance to harvest early because if we didn’t, the typhoon would surely destroy our crops anyway,” said the 25-year-old farmer from Marcos, Ilocos Norte, in an interview on Friday, October 4.
Unfortunately, dark clouds covered the sky the next day, followed by continuous rain. The downpour peaked during Super Typhoon Julian’s passage, with rain and occasional drizzles until Thursday, October 3.
In a Facebook video, Rasay can be heard lamenting the plight of farmers, including low palay prices, as the camera pans over the ruined grains. Unable to dry the palay for almost a week, the moisture caused the grains to sprout and grow mold.
Rasay said many other farmers in their village faced the same problem, while unharvested crops were destroyed by the storm.
His family had hoped to earn P50,000 from the harvest. Now, Rasay said they do not even have enough to replant their fields. He said financial and material aid from the government could help them recover.
“As of now, all I can think of is finding work to save money so we can start over. I also hope to find someone who can lend us money at low interest,” he added.
Widespread damage
On October 1, Ilocos Norte declared a state of calamity. Strong winds and heavy rain flooded over 31,000 houses and destroyed many livelihoods.
During an October 4 briefing with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Governor Matthew Manotoc reported that 748 millimeters of rain fell from September 29 to October 1 — 335 mm more than the projected rainfall for the entire month of September.
The damage is estimated to have reached nearly P1 billion: P638 million for infrastructure and P351.9 million for agriculture. More than 34,000 families have been affected, with three deaths.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Laurel Jr. reported that 12,000 hectares of farmland and almost 15,000 metric tons of crops were damaged, affecting around 18,000 farmers in the province as of October 3.
“We will have to assist those farmers… They lost one planting season,” Marcos said.
The President also expressed concern about the widespread siltation in the province, with riverbeds in some areas sitting just a few meters below dikes and bridges.
“The biggest conclusion I can arrive at after flying around is the siltation… It is terrible, it is everywhere, and it will take us a long time to fix that problem because there is so much of it,” he said.
During his report, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan identified river siltation as contributory to rivers overflowing, causing significant damage to embankments. Flood controls and dikes were among the severely damaged infrastructure in the province.
Recurring disasters
The Ilocos Center for Research, Empowerment, and Development (ICRED), a non-government organization focused on disaster response, said the devastation from Typhoon Julian is not separate from previous disasters.
In an October 3 interview, ICRED executive director Florence Kang said the series of calamities burdening the region is “too heavy” for the communities to bear.
“It is necessary to see Typhoon Julian not as an isolated event but as part of a continuous series of disasters, from El Niño to Super Typhoon Carina and now Julian. The government must respond immediately,” he said.
Kang warned that these repeated calamities threaten food security and increase debt, particularly for farmers and fishers.
In April 2024, the Department of Agriculture (DA) recorded nearly P152 million worth of damage from El Niño, with 3,141 hectares and 5,968 farmers in Region 1 adversely affected. Ilocos Norte suffered the most, with P80.5 million worth of crops destroyed. In July, Typhoon Carina (Gaemi) caused an estimated P1.01 billion-damage to the province’s infrastructure and agriculture.
Government response
As of October 4, the provincial government had distributed 14,341 food packs to affected families, with ongoing relief efforts. Other local government units have also provided 4,653 relief packs.
The DA has allocated P164 million worth of agricultural inputs for affected regions and offers up to P25,000 in loans under the Survival and Recovery Loan Program. The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation is also fast-tracking compensation for farmers.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said his department has released nearly P17 million in humanitarian aid for the affected regions, with 15,700 food packs distributed to Ilocos Norte alone.
Marcos acknowledged the efforts but emphasized the need for continuous assessment and support. “We will continue to provide assistance as long as it is still needed,” he said. – Rappler.com
