Alcala, in an interview at the sidelines of the second Coffee Investors Forum held at Marco Polo here, said the Department of Agriculture spearheads a national government initiative to rehabilitate typhoon-damaged portions of the world-famous Banaue Rice Terraces in a bid to restore its status as a World Heritage Site and a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
He said he has allocated some P20 million “solely for the rehabilitation of portions of the terraces that were damaged by Typhoons Pedring and Quiel’.
Alcala said he has earmarked additional funding for the rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads and other infrastructure which were damaged due to landslides in the area.
He said the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has also allocated some P100 million to rehabilitate irrigation system such as communal irrigation system (CIS) in the entire terraces area which were totally damaged by the recent typhoons.
An additional P25-million fund was also released by the DA regional office to all the 11 municipalities and the provincial government of Ifugao.
“Kailangan nating lutasin ang problema ng rice terraces. Ito po ang utos ni Pangulong Aquino,” he said.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) had earlier declared the Banaue Rice Terraces as “endangered” heritage site due to its deteriorating state.
In 1994, then-President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive Order 158, which formed the Ifugao Terraces Commission (ITC), tasked to orient the management of the terraces toward enhancing their tourism potentials, instead of their importance to agriculture.
In 1999, then-President Joseph Estrada dissolved the ITC and replaced it with the Banaue Rice Terraces Task Force (BRTTF) to oversee the rehabilitation and restoration of the centuries-old terraces.
The Ifugao government took over the maintenance of the rice terraces when former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo dissolved the BRTTF in 2002.
Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat said there was an urgent need to restore the terraces as they acted as a giant water purifier that helped minimize soil erosion, and many of the Ifugao residents relied on the terraces for their livelihood.
Besides landslides, the rice terraces also have been beset by the continued burrowing of giant earthworms and eels in the paddies, aggravating soil erosion.
Although local governments and the communities themselves have undertaken self-help initiatives or bayanihan to restore the typhoon-damaged sections of the rice terraces, Baguilat said fund is needed to restore one of the country’s top tourist attraction back to its pristine condition.
“We need all the help that we can get to restore the rice terraces that are not just part of the Ifugao way of life and identity but are also a source of livelihood for the people,” he said.
