By Manny Piñol
Like a father deeply worried by the dire straits his children were in, President Rody Duterte has ordered the immediate dispatch of assistance to the coconut farmers of Basilan Island whose farms were devastated by the infestation of Cocolisap.
During the Cabinet meeting last Wednesday, I reported to the President what I saw in Basilan during my Biyaheng Bukid in the island Tuesday and informed him that 3 million of the estimated 6 million coconut trees were already destroyed by the pests.
“Make sure that you help the people of Basilan right away,” the President instructed me during the Cabinet meeting.
I informed the President of the immediate interventions to immediately help the people of Basilan:
1. Distribution of 1,000 units of Fiberglass fishing boats complete with accessories. I have instructed the director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to train the Basilan fishermen on how to make the boats in the island so that they will have extra income and we will avoid the problem of transporting the boats if these are made outside the island.
The fiberglass boats could easily be made by the local people because there are prepared moulding frames and all that is needed would be the fiberglass materials.
Besides, for every fiberglass boat made, the workers are paid P15,000 for the labor. So with the 1,000 units, the locals will earn P15-m.
2. To support the fishermen, I have committed to Basilan Gov. Jim Hataman Saliman the construction of three ice-making facilities in three areas of the island province.
A cold storage facility will also be constructed in the capital city of Isabela where the fish catch of the fishermen will be consolidated and brought by fast craft directly to Metro Manila.
3. Distribution of rice, corn and vegetable seeds with corresponding fertilisers so that the coconut farms affected by the Cocolisap could be made productive.
Livestock and poultry breeding materials will also be delivered to the island in the soonest to provide the farmers with immediate sources of income.
4. Opening of more scholarship slots in the Basilan State College for children of farmers and fishermen who would like to go to college to take up fisheries, agriculture, agribusiness and other courses related to fisheries and agriculture.
The scholarships, funded by the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF), offer free tuition and a monthly stipend of P1,000.
5. Distribution of planting materials for coffee, cacao, abaca and pineapple which would be planted under the coconut trees affected by the Cocolisap.
While it would take quite a while before the farmers could earn from these products, the introduction of these secondary crops would be in preparation for the cutting down of coconut trees which could no longer be saved and a massive replanting with new coconut varieties.
6. Additional farm implements and equipment will also be turned over to the farmers’ organisations in the island, including farm tractors, cultivators, rice threshers, corn shellers and rice and corn mills.
President Duterte who was obviously touched by the plight of the people of the island instructed me to fast track the implementation of the projects.
I promised the President that within two months, the first batch of the fiberglass boats will be ready for use of the fishermen while the seeds and the equipment will be delivered immediately.
(From the deck of BFAR MCS3006, coconut trees with burned leaves could be seen in the backdrop of houses by the seaside showing the extent of the infestiation of cocolisap. Other photos show the consultation with local leaders and farmers and fishermen of Basilan Island with Gov. Jim Hataman Saliman. Photos by Gian Carlo Luague – DA-AFID)
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