President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. PHOTO BY YUMMIE DINGDING/ PPA POOL
MANILA, Philippines — Peasant groups in the Ilocos region on Thursday called for immediate financial aid from the Marcos administration amid the agricultural losses due to Typhoon Julian.
According to the Ilocos Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), the province suffered P384-million infrastructure damage and P87-million agricultural losses, impacting over 18,000 families and 4,163 hectares of farmland.
In a statement, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) chairperson and senatorial candidate Danilo Ramos said the government must compensate farmers and fisherfolk, specifically for damaged crops and production costs.
“Immediate financial assistance is also essential for families whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed,” he added.
The Alyansa Dagiti Mannalon iti Ilocos Norte (AMIN) said in a statement that the demands are clear: P25,000 in production subsidies for each farmer, P15,000 for each fisher, and P10,000 in financial aid for each typhoon-affected family.
READ: Agri damage from Typhoon Julian reaches over P36M
“Typhoon Julian’s devastation compounds the ongoing neglect that farmers and fishers have suffered under the Marcos Jr. administration. Instead of preparing for and responding to disasters, Marcos Jr. and his cronies have prioritized their own interests, leaving the people to fend for themselves,” Ramos said.
The province of Ilocos Norte was previously placed under a state of calamity due to the severe damage caused by Julian.
“As Super Typhoon Julian showed, communities are always vulnerable and underprepared in the face of calamities, and this cannot be allowed to continue,” AMIN’s secretary-general Edgar Estavillo said.
READ: Ilocos Norte under calamity state due to Julian