THE Eastern Visayas have been declared free from red tide toxins after nearly five years, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported.

The BFAR said that the results of laboratory tests on Feb. 7 detected no red tide organisms in the region.

The last time the region was red tide-free was in 2017.

The last areas cleared of red tide are: San Pedro Bay, Samar; Carigara Bay, Leyte; Cancabato Bay, Tacloban City; Guiuan, Eastern Samar; Matarinao Bay, Eastern Samar; and the waters off Biliran Island.

Red tide notices have been regularly issued for Matarinao Bay, Carigara Bay, and Cancabato Bay.

“After almost five years of regular issuance of red tide advisories, we’re now finally red tide-free. Hopefully, we will have a longer period like this with the interplay of weather. We need this for us to have a good harvest of shellfish products,” BFAR Eastern Visayas Regional Director Juan D. Albaladejo said in a statement.

“Even if shellfish ban is lifted in these areas, our active surveillance will continue since we are still experiencing rains. This may cause runoff of soil sediments rich in organic load that fertilized the cyst of red tide in these bays,” he added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

SMALL ISLAND communities in the Asia-Pacific are at greater risk from climate change, and aiding them is a “moral duty” for larger states, according to the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI).

“Support for low-lying island communities throughout the Asia-Pacific must be a priority for the international community. We know that these communities will have to bear a terrible burden for a climate crisis they had virtually no role in creating,” HHI Resilient Communities Program Director Vincenzo Bollettino said in a statement.

“Larger states have both a strong moral and practical duty to support adaptation measures and think through feasible strategies to support communities where forced migration is inevitable,” he added.

HHI, an institute within Harvard University, reported that limited resources and supporting for disaster measures are hindering community resilience in small islands in the Philippines.

It cited as a case study of Barangay Pugad, Hagonoy, Bulacan, which is effectively an island because it lies within a river delta system that empties into Manila Bay.

HHI said the barangay has limited funds to implement its community-based disaster risk reduction and management (CBDRRM).

“Sadly, Pugad is not alone in this since the issue they face is but a mere reflection of scarce resources across the entire country. Although there is a… National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF), the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF), and the Quick Response Fund (QRF) which is a portion of the NDRRMF, such financial resources are not proportionally allocated across provinces and tend to be heavily focused on disaster response rather than preparedness and resilience,” HHI added.

HHI said typhoons are inevitable and governments must invest in pre-disaster measures.

“Being hit by only one (typhoon) can bring them to a disaster trap. Thus, it is increasingly important for the government, at all levels, to focus on pre-disaster investments. Such communities need policy and financial support in their CBDRRM plans. It will be good to start with assisting such communities in terms of disaster risk financing and disaster insurance education, alongside a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to DRR and gender mainstreaming in disaster management,” it said.

“The continued onslaught of disasters and climate change impacts to Pugad diminishes the positive impact of resources brought about by the community’s partnerships with external development actors,” the report added.

It proposed the construction of disaster mitigation infrastructure projects to prepare the communities ahead of time.

“For infrastructure, it is also proposed that the residents in Pugad must invest in stilted housing rather than spending much of their savings and external financial support they receive on regularly fixing their damaged houses due to floods and land subsidence. Stilted housing can be the most effective type of adaptation strategy for people in small island communities in the Philippines who choose to stay over relocation measures,” the report added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

RICE PRICES are expected to remain stable in the first quarter, with a “negligible” impact on inflation, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“Rice prices continue to be stable prices (with) a negligible effect when it comes to inflation. We also have many different kinds of rice to choose from,” Undersecretary for Operations and Agri-Fisheries Mechanization Ariel T. Cayanan said at a virtual briefing.

The DA said end-January rice stocks have been estimated at 2.9 million metric tons (MT). The other projections for the rest of the quarter are 2.7 million MT for the end of February and 3.3 million MT for the end of March.

“We are working hard to make our farmers more competent so that we can continue to thrive. According to our policy, we are value-chain driven now. Our farmers don’t just have to produce, they must have entrepreneurial skills as well,” he added.

He said the DA is working on a plan that will make towns specialize in key commodities to maximize production.

“We have a provincial commodity investment plan, which went through very precise and surgical study. One town, one product.  What is suitable to the area, that’s what we plant,” Mr. Cayanan said.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said it expects to see a possible decline in palay (unmilled rice) prices during the dry season harvest following a surge in imports.

“We will have a supply glut when the farmers start harvesting their dry-season crop starting March. Farmers will again suffer from low prices even as the costs of fertilizer, fuel, and other farm inputs remain high. Having a large harvest is meaningless to farmers if it results in low prices for their produce,” FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said.

The FFF said that the increase in palay production will not benefit farmers significantly.

“Half of the incremental harvest in 2021 came from an expansion in harvested area and only half was due to an improvement in yields. Overall, output per hectare improved by only 1.6% in 2021, equivalent to an additional income of only P1,095 per hectare,” the FFF said.

“This is far off the DA’s unsubstantiated claim that farmers earned P10,000 more per hectare in 2021 despite the increase in fertilizer costs,” it added.

The FFF also questioned the reported increase in tariff collections on rice imports.

On Feb. 8, the Department of Finance  reported that rice tariff collections amounted to P18.9 billion in 2021.

Under Republic Act (RA) No. 11598, tariffs in excess of P10 billion a year will be used for cash transfers to farmers affected by the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

“Tariff collections increased because imports surged, and, as a result, palay prices went down. The P9 billion that will be given to farmers is very small compared to the P60 billion that farmers are losing every year compared to their income before RTL took effect. In addition, one out of every three rice farmers will not get any cash assistance because RA No. 11598 applies only to farmers tilling two hectares or less,” Mr. Montemayor said.

“We support calls to increase the budget for agriculture, but we must make sure that the money is being spent wisely and effectively. Spending one peso to get back just one peso is not a good way to use scarce government money,” he added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson