Baguio, La Trinidad recovering from impact of Habagat, cyclones

BAGUIO CITY – Following heavy rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat and back-to-back cyclones in July, Baguio City and La Trinidad in Benguet are still recovering from the damage left behind by the weather systems.

In an interview during the unveiling of the Artificial Groundwater Recharge Facility in La Trinidad, municipal mayor Roderick Awingan said that strawberry and vegetable farmers lost their crops and would have to wait up to 45 days before producing another harvest.

“Kita naman natin, talagang walang bunga. Sira lahat ng bunga ng strawberries natin… Lahat ng highland vegetables, nadamage sila, kaya may pinagbago ang presyo natin sa merkado. Halos mataas na lahat. Maguumpisa palang [ang recovery] barely one week siguro, magtatanim pa sila. That would take them about 30 to 45 days,” he shared.

(As we can see, there really are no fruits. All of our strawberry buds were destroyed… All of the highland vegetables were damaged, which is why market prices have changed.  [Recovery] is just starting, barely one week, they’re still replanting. That would take them about 30 to 45 days.)

Awingan said that they have recorded almost P17 million in agricultural damages around the municipality, adding that this might reach an estimated P30 million once they have finished the full report.

“Di naman namatay [ang crops], nasira lang mga buds for possible fruits. Madedelay [lang ang harvest by] a couple of weeks. Sa ngayon, konti ang supply,” he said.

([The crops] didn’t exactly die, it’s just that the buds for possible fruits were destroyed. [The harvest will get delayed by] a couple of weeks. As of now, there’s less supply.)

After declaring a state of calamity, Awingan said that they were able to access the municipality’s Quick Response Fund (QRF) for assistance for farmers, as well as enlist the help of agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) for relief packs and farm inputs.

Despite this, he shared that La Trinidad is still at the mercy of the weather.

“We have a problem with the volume of rainwater. That, we cannot control. We also have a problem with the existing drainage system… We will be conducting a pre-disaster assessment. Our offices will be conducting the necessary adjustments. All we can do is pray,” he said.

Meanwhile, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said that after conducting an assessment and needs in the city, the impact of the cyclones did not yet call for a declaration of a state of calamity.

“We never declared [a state of calamity] because we did not qualify based on established parameters. Besides, we are very resilient here; we were able to immediately mobilize, adjust according to concerns. But we sustained heavy damage, too," he said, citing the landslides that blocked some roads.

Magalong said that the damage affected the city's tourism numbers.

“It's affecting our tourism industry and at the same time the convenience of our travellers,” he said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News