REHAB PLAN. Local authorities conduct a disaster response at a mud-covered community in Ifugao, Banaue after a flash flood on July 7, 2022. The Department of Agriculture in the Cordillera has proposed a Banaue rehabilitation plan using PHP4.4 million to buy vegetable seeds, livestock, and poultry, including other agricultural supplies for residents and farmers affected by the flash flood. (PNA file photo)
BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Agriculture in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) said on Friday it is submitting a PHP4,419,944 rehabilitation plan for Banaue, Ifugao using the agency's central office’s Quick Response Fund (QRF).
Once approved, the fund will be used to buy assorted vegetable seeds, livestock, and poultry with supplements, high-density polyethylene hose, and soil ameliorants.
DA-CAR regional director Cameron Odsey in a phone interview on Friday said: “The rehabilitation plan is a result of the post-needs assessment (PDNA) conducted following the flash flood and mudflow on July 7.”
The assessment was conducted by the Provincial Emergency Operation Center and Task Force which is composed of the concerned Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer, DA-CAR Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) personnel, and the local government units.
The DA-CAR provides short gestation seeds to the residents and farmers to allow them to replace the damaged household and garden crops and assure food security in the area.
Odsey earlier said Banaue produces a minimal amount of vegetables primarily for family and community consumption and effects of the flash flood will not in any way affect the supply of vegetables transported to other regions in the country.
DA-CAR records showed that the Cordillera trades an average of 2 million kilograms of assorted vegetables at the La Trinidad trading posts, which are transported outside of the region.
“The agency will continue to provide the necessary interventions to help the affected farmers recover from their losses,” Odsey said.
The flash flood with mudslides and erosions in Banaue on July 7 was found to have been caused by the non-stop rains in the area as a result of the monsoon rains or “habagat”.
It affected barangays Poblacion, Tam-an, Bocos, Poitan, Amganad, and Viewpoint.
As of July 14, the final crop damage report showed that Banaue incurred a total damage to agriculture worth PHP10.9 million, affecting 756 farmers who are mostly into rice, high-value crops, and livestock and poultry production. (PNA)
