MESSAGE OF SEC. KARLO ALEXEI B.

NOGRALES
Cabinet Secretary

AGRI FAIR AND TIANGGE FOR YOLANDA FARMER SURVIVORS

(Theme: Food Security in the Face of Climate Crisis)

Unity Park, West Visayas State University,

La Paz, Iloilo City.
19 November 2019, 9:00 AM

Hon Governor Arthur T. Defensor, Jr., Governor, Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz, President West
Visayas State University, Director Remelyn R. Recoter, Regionel Executive Director, DA,
Maria Teresa t. Solis, Chief, DA- Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division,
distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen; ma-ayong hapon sa inyo nga
tanan.

Ten days ago, I was in Tacloban to humbly join the people and the local government in
commemorating the devastation brought about by Typhoon Yolanda, one of the worst
natural disasters in our recent history. Guiuan and Tacloban may be ground zero, but
Iloilo, Cebu, other parts of the Visayas as well as the northern part of Mindanao were not
spared. Lives were lost, homes were destroyed, and our nation shocked at the
devastation left behind by the most powerful typhoon ever to make landfall.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) estimated the damage to the agriculture and fisheries
sector at Php35.74 billion for lost crops, livestock, fisheries, and agri-infrastructure
facilities, machinery and equipment. Adding even more to the suffering of our country’s
most vulnerable sector.

Poverty incidence is already highest in this sector, and natural disasters, such as these
periodic typhoons, which have become bigger and stronger, primarily due to climate
change, make it even more impossible for our farmers and fishermen to keep themselves
above the poverty line1.

This is the reason why President Rodrigo Duterte created the Inter-Agency Task Force-
Yolanda, to ensure close coordination among the agencies involved in Yolanda
rehabilitation programs and to decisively and effectively address implementation issues
involved in reconstruction efforts so as to alleviate the burden of those severely affected
by the typhoon, including our farmers and fishermen.

The DA is the principal partner of our government in the rehabilitation efforts for our
farmers and fishermen. To help them rebuild their livelihood, the DA had provided

1Pia Ranada, “P9B needed for agri, fisheries in Yolanda areas,” Rappler.com, January 08, 2014.
Available at https://www.rappler.com/business/47480-agriculture-fisheries-rehab-yolanda

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agricultural assistance funded by the Recovery Assistance on Yolanda (RAY) Program,
renamed Yolanda Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (YRRP).

Forms of support provided under YRRP include: 1) provision of agricultural farm inputs;
2) farm machinery and equipment distribution; 3) repair, rehabilitation, and construction
of agri-infrastructure and irrigation facilities; and 4) organizing capacity building activities,
among others.

Affected farmers were also provided with farming inputs (e.g. garden tools, assorted
vegetable seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides); agri-infrastructures (e.g. plant nurseries,
garden irrigation pumps); and multi-cultivator machines/carabao/labor. These paved the
way for the establishment of Barangay Technology Demonstration (Techno-Demo)
Farms to showcase best farming practices, conduct intensive training on modern farming
techniques, and provide other government interventions to help raise farmers’ income
through the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS).

Today’s Agri-fair, which showcases and highlights the fresh and processed agricultural
products of our Yolanda farmer survivors in Panay, is a testament to the success stories
of our farmers as well as that of the intervention program of the government to help the
victims earn and raise their income. These intervention are ultimately geared towards the
long term plan of ensuring the country’s food security and sufficiency.

To our farmers who participated today, thank you for taking the time and for showing us
what you can and are capable of doing.

Despite the scale and breadth of the destruction you suffered, you, the people of Iloilo
together with the people of Tacloban, Samar, Cebu and all those in Yolanda’s path held
on to hope, continued to believe, and refused to give up in the face of overwhelming
adversity––proving once again that Filipinos are anything but ordinary.

The President affirms the resiliency and strength of all of you who suffered and continue
to suffer from the effects of Typhoon Yolanda, and he remains resolute in the
commitment of the national government to support all local governments and affected
communities to emerge triumphant in this fight to rebuild their lives.

Rest assured the national government is with you all. In my capacity as head of IATF
Yolanda and as a member of the Cabinet I look forward to the national government, our
LGUs, our private partners and NGOs, to move forward together. Because despite the
pain of our loss to Yolanda we arise from it a stronger people, continuing to work together,
without heed of politics, religion, education or creed, to truly build better lives.

Damo gid nga Salamat sa inyo tanan!