Isabela’s farmlands and crops sustained extensive damage as severe tropical storm #KristinePH made landfall early Thursday, October 24. Heavy rains flooded 29 out of 34 towns, and local farmers are now urging the government for compensation after consecutive climate disasters—from El Niño to #EntengPH and now Kristine—have repeatedly hampered agricultural production, livelihood, and destroyed their homes. Farmers are also voicing alarm over the intensifying militarization in their communities, with President Marcos Jr. mobilizing Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, including Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela, as command centers for relief efforts.
“Isabela farmers are reeling from crisis after crisis,” said Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) chairperson Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos. “Not only are they struggling with the impacts of storms on their livelihood, but they also face government neglect and militarization in the guise of aid. Farmers need resources and genuine support, not military presence that aggravates their suffering and fear.” Ramos is also one of Makabayan’s senatorial candidates.
The impact of climate calamities on Isabela farmers has only been exacerbated by the lack of government support in agriculture—especially in terms of access to seeds, tools, and affordable financing. Many farmers who took loans for this season’s inputs are now mired in debt, with interest rates climbing to 4 to 5%. Farmers are forced to harvest prematurely, selling wet rice and corn to traders at painfully low prices, between PHP 7-10 per kilo, well below the regular price of PHP 15-20 per kilo.
In Brgy. Lapogan, Tumauini in Isabela, relief network Sagip Kanayunan reported that over 75% of rice lands were damaged, with vegetable plots and banana crops also devastated. Torrential rains caused the Cagayan River to swell, submerging entire cornfields. Rice lands in Brgy. Aneg, Delfin Albano are similarly submerged, adding to the widespread crop and income losses for Isabela’s farmers.
The government’s claims of 5,500 flood control projects completed by Marcos Jr., along with the proposed PHP 254 billion budget for flood control in 2025, are seen by farmers as little more than hollow promises. Instead of tangible aid, farmers frequently encounter harassment, red-tagging, and coercion, often intensified by the presence of US troops under EDCA. In 2023, after Typhoon Goring hit Brgy. Lapogan, Tumauini, several farmers reported being pressured to sign documents in exchange for relief goods—documents allegedly meant to indicate their ‘surrender’ as a condition of receiving aid.
KMP stands in solidarity with Isabela farmers, demanding immediate compensation for all affected and the withdrawal of military forces from relief operations in favor of genuine support. Ramos added, “Isabela’s farmers are already fighting the devastating impacts of climate change; they shouldn’t have to contend with state violence and foreign intervention, which only deepen their plight.”
KMP joins the call for immediate and fair compensation, real disaster response, and a rejection of the Marcos Jr. administration’s alignment with foreign military agendas, which have no place in communities enduring relentless climate impacts and economic hardship. #
