The severe drought brought by El Niño left farmlands parched and the farmers with no rice to eat.
The Xavier University- Institute of Land Governance (ILG) initiated a relief operation in partnership with the Xavier Science Foundation Inc (XSF) to a rice farming community in Musuan, Maramag City, Bukidnon on April 16.
The team, led by ILG Coordinator Renante Salcedo, donated 1,250 kilos of rice to more than 200 families as immediate partial assistance.
“Reaching out to the communities is part of ILG. We saw that the farmers, who are already facing issues on land tenure and limited access to farm services, are also the first to be affected in this El Niño time.” Salcedo stated.
“Ang sa komunidad, nagaproblema gyud ang mga katawhan tungod kay wala naman lain gyud panguhaan sa [panginabuhian], kay isa raman gyud among panginabuhian kana ra ang farm. So nag problema gyud mi bahin sa pagkaon [The people in the community are affected because we do not have any other means of livelihood except farming. That is why, we are worried about where to get our food],” expressed Veneranda Guinanao, a woman farmer and president of the community’s Day Care Center.
According Salcedo, they chose to give assistance to the said farming community because it is one of the most severely affected by El Niño compared to other rice farms in Bukidnon.
“Gamay ra ni atong tabang. Apan, nanghinaut kita nga makatabang-tabang na kini sa sitwasyon. Naglantaw usab kita nga daghan pa ang muabot nga suporta sa ilaha ug sa ubang komunidad nga nag-antus sa maong kahimtang [Our assistance is very small. However, we’re hoping that this can at least help ease the situation. We’re hoping that more assistance will come to them and to other communities suffering from the same situation],” Salcedo added.
“Pag kahibalo namo nga naay bugas nga hinabang diri dako kaayo na nga kalipay diri. Dako na kaayo na nga katabang sa mga tao nga karun galisud gyud sa bugas. Mapasalamaton gyud kami niana pag kahibalo namo nga naay bugas, lipay kaayu mi [When we learned that there will be distribution of rice to aid our situation, we were really happy. It is a big help to us especially because we are currently experiencing shortage of rice supply. We are really thankful],” said Jose Benemerito Jr, a farmer leader from Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus (BTL) group.
Even if the rainy season starts in June, the harvesting time will still be around September to October. With nothing to harvest from previous months, affected farming groups are planning to have a dialogue with the Local Government Units (LGUs) to seek for assistance.
In a livestreaming of UP Public Lectures on Philippine Presidency and Administration participated by ILG on April 21, DSWD Sec. Corazón "Dinky" Solíman announced that they are providing assistance, in partnership with the local foundations and Archdioceses, to farmers hit by El Nino in Region 10-Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon, among other places.