Batanes going hungry?

BASCO, Batanes, Philippines – The entire province is in the verge of going hungry, as commercial rice is not available in the market for one month now.

There is also no supply of sugar, cooking oil, liquefied petroleum gas and other prime commodities in the last several days. Animal feed is likewise out of stock.

The lack of rice and basic necessities is blamed on the inclement weather that has prevented cargo ships from coming here.

The M/V Saver 3, which is bound for this province since last month, only left Manila last Friday and was expected to arrive last Monday. However, the cargo ship sought shelter in Dalupiri Island in the Calayan island group with the coming of typhoon Nina in the Pacific Ocean.

M/V Transcend, which arrived last month, only carried 200 bags of commercial rice. The distribution was limited to only 10 kilos per family.

Batanes Gov. Vicente Gato has called on the residents to limit their dependence on rice coming from the mainland.

“I encourage everyone to return to farming,” Gato said in a statement. “Let us cultivate our idle lands into root crops and vegetables as our parents did before us.”