Philippines: Sen. Legarda presses for disaster reduction measures

Sen. Loren Legarda Thursday called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to report on the progress of its climate change adaptation campaign and disaster-risk reduction measures in preparation for the rainy season.

Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, specifically asked the DA to release updates on the progress of the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in typhoon and flood-prone agricultural areas in the country.

She said she expects government agencies have put in place acceptable climate change adaptation and risk reduction measures to avert an “Ondoy”-like disaster that the country experienced late last year.

“I spent my campaign time and resources for my climate change advocacies and I hope I was heard. We would know if I was heard when La Niña visits us this year,” said Legarda who is serving another three years in the Senate after losing the vice presidential race in the recently concluded May 2010 elections.

Legarda, who also heads the Senate climate change oversight committee, said rainwater harvesting is one of the strategic solutions the government could put in place to avert agricultural destruction and to ensure food security.

She said more technologies such as flood-tolerant crop varieties should be ready for the farmers — especially impoverished farmers — to access and quick-loan facilitation to livestock producers for sturdy animal housing should have been extended in preparation for La Niña.

She asked the DA on how it coordinated with concerned agencies on the allocation of water resources to various uses such as households, industry and agriculture.

“At present, our farms have 1.3 million hectares of rain-fed areas and one million hectares of marginal lands,” she said.

The DA should have a solution by now on how to serve marginal lands in order to solve the problems resulting from climate change particularly destruction in the country’s resources and vulnerability of our food security zones.

Legarda said her committee intends to ask for a comprehensive water security program from concerned water agencies when the incoming 15th Congress starts legislative sessions in July.

She said the DA which is the lead department in the implementation of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) should be ready with its proposed five-year plan which she asked the Department to craft last budget year.