BANAUE Mayor Doc Wes Dulawan has reached out to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Philippines in a bid to clarify reports that the Ifugao Rice Terraces are in "very critical stage of deterioration."
The UN FAO's report was released in 2019.
Dulawan said he asked for a meeting with FAO to complement its technical resources with Banaue's indigenous knowledge systems.
"The Banaue LGU (local government unit) hopes to collaborate with FAO in assessing the national and local efforts in the 12 years that transpired since the conclusion was reached that the rice terraces 'are in a very critical stage of deterioration.' Perhaps then, we can also collaborate on concrete solutions based on the current situation," Dulawan said.
He said the FAO culled its conclusion from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' (DENR) 2008 proposal that the terraces are in a very critical stage of deterioration and "do not allow the local communities to overcome the poverty line."
The rice terraces in Banaue have partly sustained the families and clans that have traditionally worked the payo (terraces) for their own needs at least until the 80s, with some surplus sold for additional necessities.
"The Tinawon heirloom rice variety which is traditionally planted in the terraces, is a once-a-year crop, so our clans also worked on swidden farms, and harvested products from communal forests and water bodies," said Dulawan.
He said not all families have worked at the terraces, as majority of communities in Ifugao have also found sustainable livelihood in forests and swidden farms, and as artisans and farmers.
"It is fundamentally shortsighted to conclude that the terraces, whether restored or rehabilitated, can by themselves lift the populace out of poverty, but they can definitely contribute to poverty alleviation," Dulawan noted.
The mayor said Banaue has the most number of land area dedicated to rice terraces.
"The Banaue LGU will work not just with FAO but also with the national and provincial governments, and private groups to prioritize the financial empowerment of farmers, families and clans so they can themselves rehabilitate the terraces. Lifting the Ifugao out of poverty, however means the forests, water bodies and swidden farms also have to be sustained as they are all connected to each other," he said.
Dulawan also welcomes discussions generated by the article, particularly among government officials, because "the issue of the status of the rice terraces deserves serious attention." He pointed out that "the LGU, however, is raising several points related to the article, and its source, the FAO website. First, the author, Catherine A Modesto, located the post as if the context is fresh and current. The 'annexes' tab prominently displayed in the FAO website would have provided not just a more accurate timeline but also of the political and environmental conditions that could have raised the bar of the conversations around the issue."
"Modesto's article extracted the conclusion that the 'Ifugao Rice Terraces are now in a very critical stage of deterioration' from a source that is 12 years old. FAO's post was culled from a DENR proposal dated 2008. The post did not have a timeline which should already have raised flags that called for deeper inquiry as opposed to superficial reporting. DENR's 2008 proposal already detailed many rehabilitation and restoration efforts throughout various Philippine governments," he added.
Previously, Ifugao Governor Jerry Dalipog said in a statement that he was also caught off guard at the recent announcement of the FAO.
The governor said there is a P194-million budget allotted for 2020 for the terraces rehabilitation and restoration work culled from the Department of Public Works and Highways, as well as the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.