Kiko urges quick repair of roads, irrigation hit by habagat, typhoons

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is urging the government to immediately repair farm roads, bridges and irrigation systems damaged by the southwest monsoon or habagat and recent typhoons.

Pangilinan said damaged agricultural facilities could make things worse for farmers and fisherfolk, while also putting the country’s food supply at risk.

Agencies, according to the senator, should prioritize the repair of farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, and farm machinery and drying facilities so farmers can return to their fields and bring whatever produce they can save to markets.

“Magsasaka at mangingisda ang isa sa mga pinakaapektadong sektor ng lipunan kapag may mga weather disturbances tulad ng habagat at bagyo. Sira ang kalsada, sira ang taniman kaya ang ibig sabihin hindi lang walang ani kundi wala rin dadaanan ang ani kahit pa may konti silang maisalba,” Pangilinan said.

The senator stressed that repairing roads should be part of the government’s disaster response, especially in farming areas that depend on these roads to bring produce to markets.

“Agricultural production cannot fully recover if farmers cannot access their farms or transport their produce to markets,” Pangilinan said.

“Ang epekto ng pagbaha at pagkakasira ng ani ay hindi lang usapin ng infrastructure at ani. Usapin ito ng pagkain. Tayo dito sa siyudad ang tatamaan din kapag hindi maibaba ang ani mula sa mga sakahan o ang mga huli mula sa dagat,” he added.

Pangilinan urged the Department Public Works and Highways, Department of Agriculture, National Irrigation Administration and local governments to quickly assess the damage and focus repairs on the hardest-hit farming communities.

The senator also called for the proper use of available rehabilitation funds, saying repairs should be strong enough to withstand future heavy rains and typhoons.

“Hindi pwedeng paulit-ulit ang problemang hinaharap natin tuwing may bagyo o habagat. We need to be proactive and not reactive,” he said.

The Department of Agriculture earlier reported that damage to agriculture from the enhanced habagat and Tropical Cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng had reached P2.32 billion.

The weather disturbances affected 69,615 farmers and fisherfolk in eight regions and damaged 60,896 metric tons of crops covering 62,732 hectares of farmland.IMT