Loans dry up for flood-soaked farmers

SAN LUIS, Pampanga—Used to floods and the losses these wreak on people’s lives, Almario David is not giving up on farming. But unlike years past, David, 59, has found it harder to find money for planting three weeks after successive typhoons battered central and northern Luzon.

Even Edwin Manlapaz, chair of the San Juan Pambilog Multipurpose Cooperative, has been scouting for bank loans for its 55 members. Banks, said Manlapaz, won’t accept a P500,000 collateral.

A glimmer of hope came yesterday after Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala distributed seeds, fingerlings, fry, farm equipment and carabaos to Pampanga farmers. Access to bank loans for farmers in need, however, was nowhere in sight.

Alcala himself admitted that government aid to farmers, who suffered from floods, was insufficient because of the extent of the damage that flooding left behind in the region in recent weeks.

“The assistance we are giving is not enough when compared to the extent of damage,” he said.

Typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” destroyed at least P8.6 billion in crops. The fishery sector suffered at least P1 billion in damages, said Andrew Villacorta, regional agriculture director.

Quoting President Benigno Aquino III, Alcala said while short-term aid was coming, officials needed to develop long-term programs to deal with disasters. He said local officials and heads of agencies are meeting for two days for this purpose.

“These road maps will be integrated in the national road map,” said Alcala. “We shall ensure that there is no waste of funds.”

He said at least P29 million was immediately available in seed subsidies. Alcala also gave Pampanga at least two hand tractors and a thresher. He also gave away five carabaos.

He could not, however, say how much exactly his department was allocating for rehabilitation of disaster-stricken regions. “I don’t want to fix the amount because we may require more,” he said.

In Cagayan and Isabela, reports said Alcala has committed P150 million for irrigation repair and improvement and farming inputs.

The congressional committee on agriculture and fisheries modernization has authorized Alcala to spend P500 million until the 2012 budget was approved.

Before his Pampanga visit, Alcala checked the situation in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac. After Pampanga, he went to Bulacan for a forum with farmers.