By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
Beware of army worms! They could destroy an entire garden of young vegetables. But the worms also feed on various crops including rice, corn, grasses and onions.
Last month, the onion farms of Pangasinan, particularly that of Bayambang town, was attacked by army worms. Earlier in the year it was the bigger onion farms of Nueva Ecija that bore the brunt of the pest’s attack.
But way back in 2015, the same N. Ecija farms already experienced the wrath of the said pests, locally called ‘harabas’. Nueva Ecija is the top onion producer in the Philippines while Pangasinan is one of the top five.
The worm attack in those two provinces was discounted by experts as a possible cause of shortage of onion supply locally. This might be true but only a few days ago, somebody smuggled more than 10 vans of fresh onions coming from China, probably using the worm attack as a cover. The DA Sec. himself, Mr. Manny Pinol, led an inspection team of the smuggled goods. It was estimated to be worth PhP30M.
The pest invasion could be an example of a small agricultural problem that could go awry, if not assessed and dealt with properly. The onion smuggling is a concrete example. The commodity that arrived in our pier was not even cleaned, with a lot of soil clinging to the bulbs indicating that it was hastily harvested and assembled for its voyage to the country. Obviously, it was to take advantage of the pronouncement that the destruction of onion production will not disrupt local supply of the commodity.
What is disturbing is that at least two onion farmers in Pangasinan had been confirmed to have committed suicide over the calamity, due to their inability to pay back the loan they incurred in producing the crop. This is one instance where our government functionaries should be very alert to respond to. The desired, quick response however should be based on a relevant policy addressing such possibility.
The onion farms in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, two of the leading producers of the crop in the country, may soon find themselves in the same boat as Pangasinan if no concrete measures to solve the problem are done. I had the occasion to visit the farm of the so-called “Camote King”, Engr. Cesar Tabago, in Tarlac more than two weeks ago. Besides camote, he also plant other crops like onion in his 80-hectare farm. He told me that some onion farms, including his own, in the province were also destroyed by the worm.
Earlier, the worm also devastated squash farms in Pangasinan. The vegetable farms in the Cordillera may therefore find themselves in the same situation sooner than immediately. These farms could be vulnerable to army worm plague especially during the hotter months. The worm thrives best in warm and moist conditions. I hope our DA and MAO personnel in CAR are casing the army worm situation nearby, and preparing accordingly.
By the way, the Pangasinan farmers have tried using available synthetic pesticides and even organic pesticides to control the pest but to no avail. They tried though one pesticide that is used in Benguet vegetable farms to a certain degree of effectivity.
Philippine Rice Research Institute scientists are recommending the use of pheromones to combat the pests. Other important considerations are to go organic farming, and diversify the crop planted in the same area from time to time.
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Boracay, the world-famous island resort in Western Visayas, had started to sleep in order to be reinvigorated. The development of the island as a resort was so fast, that many important considerations for development were not attended to properly. It was only in the 1990’s that infrastructure development started in earnest. But now, more than 50% of its area is a concrete jungle. Clearly, the island was subjected to untold abuse as a result of unsustainable development. It needed to be treated from its environment injury, and regain some of its old, natural beauty. With its closure last April 26, 2018, the healing has started. It will last for 6 months, which to some, is too long but too short to others
President Duterte’s decision to close down a goose that lays a golden egg, was a huge decision. It was met with both approval and skepticism. It is not easy to make very satisfactory plans for 20,000 displaced employees. But there is a need to sacrifice in order to attain an objective. I feel for those who lost their jobs and have nowhere to work, and just go back home. They happen to be unwilling sacrificial lambs. I don’t know what arrangements had been made for those who suddenly lost their jobs, including those who are already past their prime. It will surely be more difficult for them. The government should do its best to make their situation lightder.
Although the present situation is not of their own decision, those big entrepreneurs who had amassed very large profits from their island resort businesses should be asked to really provide for the displaced employees. Many of those entrepreneurs are actually the reason why the island is being closed because of their various violations. So the decision is due in large part to their own making thus, they have to be part of the solution in making life more bearable for the concerned employees.
One thing good that came out from the closure decision is that some resort owners elsewhere are now trying hard to make sure that they will not meet the same fate as Boracay’s. That’s how a decisive leadership and action can do. Hopefully, it will result to general make over of all our resorts or even other businesses around the country.
The required healing of Boracay is similar to the healing of an overly used and abused gardens and farms. Such soils need to rest to regain its richness and ability to provide a good crop for all to savor.
After healing, Boracay is expected to become resplendent once more, with most of its natural beauty in full display for appreciation and enjoyment by all. Then it will bring in more income from tourists, and greater satisfaction from visitors. **
