Just weeks after replanting, newly sown rice fields in Mangaldan, Pangasinan are once again flodded, destroyed by heavy rains from recent storms and the southwest monsoon.

For farmers like Jomar Garin, the repeated damage is forcing them to consider giving up entirely this cropping season.

“Baka hindi na kami magtanim kasi noong una, sabog tanim, nasira lahat ‘yun. Tapos ngayon ulit, nalubog lahat. Lugi talaga kami,” Garin said.

Over four hectares of rice he oversees were lost for the second time.

Jose de Guzman, another farmer, shared the same sentiment. With their paddies flooded constantly, and no seedlings left to replant, many are left with no path forward this season.

“Kapag ganitong tag-ulan, lugi lang talaga,” he said.

Agricultural groups are raising alarms not just for the individual farmers but for the larger rice supply chain in the province. The flooding has affected hectares of farmlands across Pangasinan, causing concerns over lower rice production in the final quarter of the year.

“Hopefully magtatanim ulit ang mga magsasaka kasi medyo mababa ang farmgate price. ‘Yun ang medyo worry natin,” Engr. Rosendo So, Chairman of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), said.

Government officials are currently conducting validation and monitoring efforts in the areas affected.

Assistance has been promised to farmers who have suffered losses, although details on the type and schedule of support have yet to be confirmed.