Typhoon Nona victims and the fate of our agri industry

While many of us were caught up in the Christmas rush, a powerful typhoon crossed the central part of Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph and 12-20 inches of rainfall. It passed south of Manila and then lingered in the south and west of Luzon before it left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (or PAR). As it made landfall in five different areas it brought damage and destruction to thousands of homes and families. It killed 42 people and caused more than P6.5 billion in damage.

Typhoon Nona literally paralyzed the central part of Luzon. The province of Oriental Mindoro suffered more than P4 billion worth of damage; it ruined infrastructure (roads, bridges, flood control projects, public buildings, and other public works) estimated at P1.5 billion; destruction to agriculture in Oriental Mindoro alone was estimated at P2.9 billion, P2.7 million in crops, P264 million in livestock, and P28.1 million in fisheries; the power sector suffered P290 million worth of damage.

There were 1.2 million people affected by the typhoon in Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Marinduque, Palawan provinces, Samar Island and the Bicol region. Severely devastated by this life-threatening situation were the Indigenous people: the Mangyans, particularly the Iraya of Baco, Alangan of Baco and Naujan, and the Tadyawan of Victoria, Socorro, Pola, Gloria and Pinamalayan.

I have a very soft spot for our indigenous people who have been the most ignored group in the country and yet they carry the hidden treasures of our country’s past. I was very happy to note that a group called the Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) under the leadership of its coordinator, Fr. Flavie Villanueva, SVD was quick to respond to their needs. Fr. Jun Florida, SVD who is the Head of the Mangyan Mission and the Lay Society of St. Arnold Janssen were actively involved in making this mission a success. Before the end of 2015, through the help of generous private individuals and the Society of Divine Word (SVD) communities, more than a million worth of goods were transported to these communities and their parishes in Mindoro. With the help of Commodore Rolando D. Legaspi, commander of the Coastguard District of Southern Tagalog the help arrived in time to give comfort to our brothers and sisters in dire need. Of course, there is still much to do. I hope more help will come their way!

Mangyans are said to live in peaceful societies compared to the head hunting tribes of North Luzon and the brave defiant warrior tribes of the South. They accept peaceful submissiveness when they encounter lowland settlers, missionaries, traders and government officials. Their means of livelihood is agriculture. They plant a variety of sweet potato, upland (dry cultivation) rice, and taro. They also catch small animals and wild pig. Many who live in close contact with lowland Filipinos sell cash crops such as bananas and ginger.

This ethnic group is just one of the estimated 14-17 million Indigenous Peoples (IPs) belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups. They are mainly concentrated in Northern Luzon (Cordillera Administrative Region, 33%) and Mindanao (61%), with some groups in the Visayas. Every time the country is in a state of calamity after a typhoon or an earthquake, it is always the indigenous people who live in far flung areas who suffers the most. Massive damage in their areas result in lack of communication facilities, lost homes and sources of livelihood. The indigenous people are the most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of natural calamities due to the poor state of infrastructure, adaptation measures and their poor socio-economic conditions. By the way, we need to strengthen the protection of these groups. I hope the new President will give more importance to them.

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In 2012, agriculture had a 32% share in the total employment, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This is slightly lower than in previous years. Out of the 37.61 million total employment, 12.09 million people are employed in agriculture.

The PSA also noted that in the same year, the country’s earnings from agricultural exports were lower by 7.9% from the previous year, while import expenditures grew by 3.6%.

These figures may seem strange since the Philippines is a predominantly agricultural country, yet improvement in the agriculture sector has been rather slow. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), despite being an agricultural country, the Philippines developed an untenable dependence on imported rice to ensure sufficient national stocks. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) reported that in 2010, the Philippines “had to import 2.45 million tons of rice to address domestic requirements.”

The FAO also reported that by the end of 2011, the Philippines lost over 600,000 tons of milled rice due to typhoons, while 6% of the country’s rice farmlands were destroyed.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), agricultural damages amounted to P31.13 billion as of January 2014. Until now rehabilitation of affected areas have not been completed.

The battle against food insecurity and hunger is a fight fought by many. Reports show that from 2010-2012, the Philippines had the 5th highest food inadequacy at 54%, behind Cambodia (27.1%), Myanmar (29.5%), Laos (38.3%), and Timor Leste (46.1%).

The 2016 election season is here. National campaigns have officially begun, with locals commencing in a few months. Our leadership elite is now locked in combat to obtain fresh licenses to raid our nation’s coffers.

Politicking overtakes all other priorities. For any progress to be achieved in traffic congestion, environmental degradation and inclusive growth, private sector efforts will be needed. Yes, this is the sad state of our country’s affairs.

Such private initiatives can bear immediate fruit in agro-industry. Coconut, bamboo, moringa, mango, rice, fisheries, dairy and vegetables are some of the value chains worth exploring, with entrepreneurial mindsets that should not wait – or hope – for any government intervention. 

In coconut and mango, the Philippines already possesses primary production volumes necessary to prime and sustain commercial manufacturing. Development of value chains can be easily accelerated: coconut products like VCO, cocosugar, coconut water and even lambanog are already experiencing modest successes given the current global fascination with coconut. The Philippine mango is also seen as the best in the world such that Mexico even appropriates Manila as a brand for its mangoes. Like coconut products, a similar case can be made for mango processing.

But such efforts must be supported by parallel moves to improve agricultural productivity, establish minimum product standards and developing some premium brands. The agricultural commodities listed above would all require forward and backward integration programs to ensure global competitiveness. And a specific case worth closer study is the lambanog development strategy being pursued by Philippine Craft Distillery Inc, (PCDI), whose LAKAN extra premium Philippine lambanog has won a Gold Medal in Monde Selection 2015 in Brussels. Another coconut success story is Coconut Republic, whose cocosugar and VCO are now exported worldwide.

For the Philippines, agro-industrial development could be a priority worth encouraging during the current election season. I hope that more Filipino entrepreneurs follow the steps taken by PCDI and Coconut Republic. I am sure that there are a few Filipino success stories in the agro-industry.We should continue to support them in order to develop and strengthen the backbone of this country.