Farmers and church members in Batangas held a people’s mass and program on October 24 to mark the first anniversary of Typhoon Kristine, which devastated the livelihood of farmers in the province.
Typhoon Kristine ravaged Batangas province a year ago, with effects worsened by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) substandard flood control projects. The southwest monsoon hit in July, while typhoons Opong and Paolo followed in September and October, but the 3,300 calamity-stricken families are yet to receive the promised ₱5,000 emergency cash assistance.
On September 16, farmers and fisherfolk under the Alyansa ng mga Magsasaka para sa Kumpensasyon (Alliance of Farmers for Compensation or AMK), Sugarfolks’ Unity for Genuine Agricultural Reform (SUGAR) Batangas, Kaisahan ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Tubuhan (Unity of Sugarcane Workers or KAISAHAN), and Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (Federation of Peasant Associations in Southern Tagalog or KASAMA-TK) held a dialogue with various government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Labor and Employment, and Department of Trade and Industry, led by Senator Raffy Tulfo, to discuss compensation for farmers and fisherfolk affected by Typhoon Kristine.
The discussion revealed that only over ₱500 million has been utilized from the ₱1 billion Quick Response Fund. The DA would outlay only ₱240 million if it distributed ₱30,000 to 8,000 affected farmers and fisherfolk.
Despite this, agencies still have not provided the proper compensation to farmers. Consequently, the farmers of Batangas will continue their actions and struggle for aid and compensation, long-term production support, and genuine land reform.
