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LOOK: Isabela farmers gamble against climate in Ulysses aftermath

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Text and photos by Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

<p>&quot;Nagtanim kami agad kasi para may makuha na pang allowance ng bata at pang-kain, ser. Kung walang matanim, walang pang kabuhayan.&quot;</p><p>It&#x27;s back to square one for farmers in Barangay Baculud in Ilagan, Isabela after floods brought by Typhoon Ulysses destroyed their crops.</p><p>Domingo Bagunu and his neighbors plowed the ground that was not covered in mud and planted okra, pechay, and squash seeds, hoping to reap the harvest by December. This will at least make them survive until the year ends.</p><p>They were about to harvest eggplants when flood inundated the area near the Ilagan River, adjacent to the Cagayan River. The harvest would have survived if the waters didn&#x27;t linger for three days, they said.</p><p>As floodwaters subsided, they immediately removed the destroyed crops and started planting again. They were even thankful that their ground was not covered in mud, otherwise the land would be unusable until the start of 2021.</p><p>This adds another setback to the farmers this year. The COVID-19 lockdown in the province made it difficult for them to tend to their respective farmlands, making harvest impossible with the ruined crops.</p><p>Despite PAGASA’s forecast of 4 more tropical cyclones possibly entering the country before the year ends, the farmers still left it to chance to plant again as they have families to support.</p><p>&quot;Hindi mo alam kung babagyo ulit. Sapalaran lang sir, sapalaran lang sa pagtatanim. Kung mag bagyo naman or kung maswerte, bahala na ang Diyos. Hindi natin hawak ang panahon.&quot;</p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/1-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/2-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/3-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/4-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/5-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/6-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/7-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/8-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/9-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/10-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/11-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/12-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/13-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/11/23/14-isabela-farmers-md.jpg"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>The Magat Dam more than a week since its floodgates were opened due to the rains brought by Typhoon Ulysses. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Some fields are covered in mud brought by the flood. According to the farmers, some of the fields are unuseable until January since the mud would be too soft for crops to grow. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A farmer plows through ground that can be planted on in Barangay Baculud in Ilagan, Isabela. Floodwaters submerged houses in their field, even if located slightly higher, after Typhoon Ulysses brought torrential rains as it passed Luzon on November 12, 2020. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Clothes soiled by the flood hang to dry. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Domingo Bagunu plows the ground with a carabao since a tractor is unavailable. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bagunu and Malig try to find healthy lima beans amid the damaged crop planted near the Ilagan River to replant in another area. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bagunu shows a pod of lima beans they have recovered from the flooded land. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bagunu and other farmers carry on with planting despite possible storms by the end of the year. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Domingo Bagunu plows the ground with a carabao since a tractor is unavailable to use. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A farmer scatters okra seeds on the plowed ground. They aim to plant okra, pechay, squash, and eggplant, some with a faster turnaround time to sell as soon as possible. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Eileen Malig plants okra seeds on the plowed ground in between surviving pechay plants and removed spoiled eggplant crops. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Eileen Malig plants okra seeds on the plowed ground in between surviving pechay plants and removed spoiled eggplant crops. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Eileen covers the planted seeds with her feet along the plowed ground. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A pile of eggplant bushes destroyed by the flood lay next to the plowed ground. Despite slightly recovering from the lockdown that wilted a batch of crops, wherein eggplant prices dropped as low as Php 5 per kilo, the flood has created another setback for them, forcing farmers to borrow another round of funds to buy seeds.</p><p>Left with no choice, farmers carry on with planting despite possible storms by the end of the year. It&#x27;s a gamble they&#x27;re willing to take to support their children and survive as a family. <cite>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div></div></div>

<p>"Hindi mo alam kung babagyo ulit. Sapalaran lang sir, sapalaran lang sa pagtatanim. Kung mag bagyo naman or kung maswerte, bahala na ang Diyos. Hindi natin hawak ang panahon."</p><p> </p>

"Hindi mo alam kung babagyo ulit. Sapalaran lang sir, sapalaran lang sa pagtatanim. Kung mag bagyo naman or kung maswerte, bahala na ang Diyos. Hindi natin hawak ang panahon."

LOOK: Isabela farmers gamble against climate in Ulysses aftermath

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LOOK: Isabela farmers gamble against climate in Ulysses aftermath

Text and photos by Mark Demayo,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 23, 2020 09:53 PM PHT

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Updated November 23, 2020 10:27 PM PHT

Read More:

Typhoon Ulysses

Cagayan Valley

Isabela

flooding

Magat Dam

farmers

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