BONTOC, Mountain Province – Aimed to aid in the recovery of local farmers affected by Typhoon Egay last year, the Department of Agriculture – Cordillera Administrative Region Field Unit (DA-CARFU) in collaboration with the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) through the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist (OMAg) turned over High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes to 60 farmers in the municipality.
The HDPE pipes, known for their durability and versatility, are intended to facilitate the efficient irrigation of fields, enabling the beneficiaries to re-establish and enhance their traditional rice farming practices. The initiative aims to not only address the immediate needs of the affected farmers but also to contribute to the long-term resilience of the agricultural sector in the locality.
According to Municipal Government Assistant Department Head Catherine Agcon of the OMAg, the beneficiaries were identified based on reported damages to their rice crops during the typhoon. Typhoon Egay left a trail of destruction, particularly impacting traditional rice varieties and disrupting the livelihoods of many local farmers.
She added that 33 farmers in Barangay Talubin received one roll each of the HDPE pipes during the Serbisyo Caravan in the said village on May 15, 2024 while the remaining 27 rolls were turned over to the farmers from Barangays Guina-ang, Maligcong, Dalican, Tocucan on May 17, 2024, at the Bontoc Municipal Capitol. She clarified that the recipients are enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).
The funding for the purchase of the HDPE pipes came from the DA-CARFU while the Bontoc LGU through the OMAg provided technical assistance to include consolidation of reported damages to the crops of the local farmers during the onslaught of Typhoon Egay.
Bontoc Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr., thanked the DA for its continuous assistance to the farmers.
“Our farmers are the backbone of our community, and we must extend a helping hand in times of need. The turnover of these HDPE pipes is a step towards helping our farmers gets back on their feet from their crop loss,” the mayor added.
Tudlong went on to say that ensuring rice sufficiency while at the same time uplifting the lives of the farmers in the locality is one of his flagship programs under Economic Empowerment. This is one of the four pillars of his administration’s roadmap- “ENLANGAKHA: Achieving the Vision for A Dynamic Bontoc”.
Likewise, he assured that the Bontoc LGU will continuously coordinate with the national government, particularly the DA, for continued support to the marginalized farmers.
With this, the mayor encouraged farmers and farmworkers to enrol in the RSBSA so they to avail of future interventions from the government.
Registration in the RSBSA is free and interested farmers may visit the OMAg located on the 4th Floor of the Bontoc Municipal Capitol for further inquiries. By Alpine L. Killa-Malwagay