ABACA CRISIS. Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib (in red) convenes the various government agencies and the private sectors on Thursday (July 20, 2023) to discuss the requirement needed to declare a state of calamity in Talaingod town due to zero sales of abaca products. More than 2,638 indigenous people families from 70 sitios (sub-village) in Talaingod are affected by the suspension of abaca-buying operations. (Photo from DavNor PIO)
DAVAO CITY – The Davao del Norte provincial government is set to declare a state of calamity in Talaingod town, which is facing the crisis of zero sales of abaca products.
In a statement Friday, Governor Edwin Jubahib said he convened various government agencies and the private sector to prepare the necessary documents needed for the state of calamity declaration.
At least 2,638 IP families from 70 sitios (sub-villages) in Talaingod are affected by the ongoing suspension of abaca-buying operations. Abaca is the town's main source of livelihood, especially for its predominant tribal population.
“We want to assure the needed interventions will be delivered to the affected families. We will employ the ‘whole-of-nation’ strategy to help the tribes,” Jubahib said.
In February, the provincial government initiated interventions to address the troubled Talaingod IPs affected by the suspension of abaca-buying operations.
The issue stemmed from the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority's “red-tagging” of the quality of fake abaca daratex fibers allegedly proliferating in the town.
Consequently, traders ceased to buy abaca from Talaingod, making existing production practically worthless.
Daratex abaca is a type of abaca fiber associated with low quality and is prone to processing problems as it does not meet the standards of genuine abaca fibers.
As immediate aid, the provincial government has sent various interventions to the IP families that included food packs, tanggongon abaca seeds, and high-value crops. “I don’t want this issue to be used by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army to bring back an insurgency in our now peaceful province,” the governor said. (PNA)
