Fisherfolk and farmers in Isabela are bearing the severe effects of the drought and extreme heat resulting from the El Niño phenomenon in the country. Rice and corn crops are infested with worms and stunted, while cases of fish kills have been recorded in the province.
The Philippines has been experiencing El Niño since June. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the probability of the phenomenon will rise to 82% after August. Its worst effects are expected to be felt from October to December.
In March, Isabela was placed under a state of calamity due to the widespread damage caused by the drought to agriculture.
Withered crops
In the town of Santa Maria along the Cagayan River, corn crops are infested with worms and stunted due to the drought. In the town of Alicia in the southern part of the province, rice fields have cracked due to extreme heat. The nearby Magat Dam, which supplies water to the rice fields, stood at only 159.97 meters on July 15, dropping below the critical level of 160 meters. Farmers are forced to rely solely on rain in the absence of proper and free irrigation in the area.
According to Dominga Aberion of Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon Ti Isabela (Dagami), a chapter of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines), the irrigation problem has spanned decades, and despite billions in government funds, irrigation systems are still missing up to now.
“The government’s promised aid is not enough. Farming expenses are high, so we are forced to borrow money. But because of the dry spell, we cannot expect a bountiful harvest. If there is no harvest, there is no income. Where will farmers get the money to pay their debts? They will only sink deeper into debt,” Aberion explained.
Dagami is calling on the government for a long-term solution. Aid is insufficient if not accompanied with the necessary equipment to address the crisis and for them to be able to continue planting, it said.
“The government should provide farmers with machinery, hoses, and gasoline so we can properly irrigate our crops. It is the government’s duty to support and address the needs of farmers,” Aberion said.
Fishkill
Even fisherfolk and fishpond operators in the province have not been spared from the extreme heat. In the town of Ramon, fish cages in Magat Dam suffered a massive fish kill during the last week of June. At least 1,400 operators and fishers were affected by the disaster. The dead fish were already due for harvest. According to one operator, approximately 3,000 kilograms of fish died in his fish cage, valued at over ₱11 million.
According to some experts, the water may have suffered from oxygen depletion and pollution due to a high volume of silt washed into the river. The lack of rain and extreme heat also aggravated the problem.
The national fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) urged immediate response and assistance for the affected fishers and fishpond operators. The group said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and concerned agencies must closely monitor the incident and determine the extent of the losses.
“Assistance should be in the form of relief, economic aid, and other livelihood support especially to the fish workers who will bear the brunt of the losses,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson, said in a statement on July 6.
He added that warnings about the incoming El Niño were issued early, so the government was expected to prepare adequately and respond promptly. “Fisherfolk and other affected sectors must demand immediate and concrete action from the concerned authorities,” Hicap said.
