Farmers in Bayambang, Pangasinan are taking proactive steps to protect their onion fields from armyworm (harabas) that have started to infect hundreds of hectares in the province.
Virgie Abaoag, an onion grower, recalled how her former employer suffered three consecutive losses due to armyworms and has now switched to planting corn.
“Imbes na sibuyas na naman—wala na, sumuko na ‘yung financier namin kaya mais na lang po,” Abaoag said.
Abaoag now helps fellow farmers clean their fields to prevent the pest from spreading further.
The Department of Agriculture Region (DA)-1 confirmed the presence of armyworms in seven towns:
- Bayambang
- Bautista
- Urbiztondo
- Malasiqui
- San Quintin
- San Manuel
- Alcala
As of January 15, 2025, infestations have affected 187.57 hectares of onion farms, damaging 5.7 metric tons of crops worth P4.046 million.
Vida Cacal, DA-1 spokesperson, assured farmers that some crops are damaged only partially and can still recover with proper intervention.
“'Yung na-validate, hindi naman sila totally damaged—partially damaged ‘yung status ng mga crop na nakita. Ibig sabihin, may chance of recovery kung maaagapan,” she said.
To combat the infestation, the DA recommends the use of bio-control agents and urges farmers to report early signs of armyworms.
“’Yung agarang pagre-report—napakaimportante ‘yung maagap na mai-report ng ating farmers kapag nakikitaan na nila na mayroong presence ng harabas,” Cacal said.
Despite the current challenges, DA assured that the region has sufficient onion supply.
Pangasinan remains one of the top onion-producing provinces in the Philippines.
