Senator Cynthia Villar on Thursday called on the government to give farmers financial assistance from the Rice Enhancement Fund to help them recover from the P10 billion in losses incurred by the agricultural sector from the successive typhoons.
Since the agricultural sector was the hardest hit, Villar proposed in a Senate Resolution that the 2021 General Appropriations Act include a special provision that the excess amount collected by the Bureau of Customs be given as cash assistance to the farmers owning one hectare and below to help them recover.
The only qualification is that the farmer beneficiaries be registered in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture, or the RSBSA, to compensate them for the loss of farm income and help them start anew.
Based on the initial estimates, the agricultural damage from typhoons “Quinta”, “Rolly and “Ulysses” could reach over P10 billion. It would also take time and a huge infusion of capital to help the farmers recover.
The Bureau of Customs reported an approximately P5- Billion tariff collection in excess of the P10 billion collected in 2019 and in 2020 as of September 30,2020).
Under RA 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, Congress can allocate this excess collection to the Department of Agriculture to help rice farmers.
On Oct. 25, 2020, Quinta made five landfalls in the central Philippines, particularly in Southern Tagalog and Bicol, Regions VI and VII, the NCR, Central Luzon, the Cordilleras and Northern Luzon.
According to reports, a total of 115,181 families or 501,289 people were affected in 2,255 villages in Regions III, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, V, VI, VII and VIII.
Around P4.6 billion worth of agricultural goods were damaged. On Oct. 31, 2020, Super “Rolly”, another extremely powerful tropical cyclone, made landfall in Catanduanes and affected the Bicol region and Southern Luzon. It left almost 100,000 homes destroyed including power, water and communication services in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, the Bicol Region and the Cordilleras.
The Bicol Region, one of the worst-hit regions, estimated the damage to agriculture to be around P2.9 billion that affected crops, livestock, fisheries and agricultural facilities with a total of 44,712 hectares of agricultural land destroyed.
The provinces of Cavite, Catanduanes and Camarines Sur were declared under a State of Calamity.
On Nov. 1, 2020, “Ulysses”, the strongest storm of the year, caused death and destruction due to landslides, and flooding and heavy damage to agriculture.