AMID the health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), two towns in northwestern Cebu have found strength through resiliency as they begin to push for local food security measures.
In Tuburan, the Municipal Government has decided to take advantage of vast farmlands in the mountain barangays.
Mayor Danilo Diamante said although the town has been working its way into becoming the coffee farm haven of the province, right now, the focus has shifted to planting rootcrops, fruits and vegetables.
Diamante said the Municipal Government will provide P500 to P1,000 loans to 10,000 households in the mountain barangays to be used in buying seedlings and rootcrops.
"When I was elected councilor in 2010, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia had a program that would grant P500 worth of loan to farmers. Now that I am mayor, I've decided to adopt that program, especially with the present (Covid-19) health crisis," Diamante told SunStar Cebu in a mix of Cebuano and English.
In return, the beneficiaries will be expected to give a portion of their harvest to the town, which will then sell the produce at affordable prices to constituents living in the lowlands.
For example, farmers who planted "kamoteng kahoy" (cassava) and sweet potatos will have to remit 10 kilos of the rootcrops to the municipal government.
Depending on the loan amount, beneficiaries of the program will also have to return to the government four hands of bananas, two kilos of "alugbati" (malabar nightshade), two kilos of eggplant, two kilos of okra or one kilo of "kamunggay" (moringa), Diamante explained.
"I am prioritizing food security because we can't really be too sure with this pandemic. What if the food supply in Cebu suddenly runs short?" Diamante asked in Cebuano.
To ensure that the funds are used for its intended purpose, Diamante said a team from the Municipal Government will conduct weekly inspections to check on the progress of the farmlands.
Diamante clarified that only those who were able to attend a seminar on the loan program and farming techiques will be qualified to apply.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring town of Tabuelan, famous for its white sand beaches, tourism promotion is taking a backseat in this time of the new coronavirus.
The health crisis has changed the town's policy directions.
Mayor Raul Gerona said backyard farming is now the way to go, considering that Tabuelan is mostly made up of limestone.
Root crops, fruits and vegetables are also the town’s best options because they are nutritious and fairly easy to maintain, Gerona said.
So that residents will have food to sustain them during the enhanced community quarantine, the Municipal Government has allowed those living in coastal barangays to catch fish, enough to feed their families.
The Municipal Government also provides rice assistance and relief packs weekly to its constituents, Gerona said.
“It's an ongoing process but right now, our main focus is making sure the people's basic needs such as rice and water are provided. People in the province live simple lives and that is what we are grateful for," Gerona said in Cebuano.
Gov. Garcia had announced the Provincial Government will be gearing towards countryside development and agricultural productivity in a new post-coronavirus disease era.
As Cebu moves forward, Garcia said a Task Force New Normal will be created to form new policies and guidelines.
She stressed the need to make the Province self-sufficient, especially on matters of food security.
Garcia also aims to provide job opportunities for people right at their hometowns.
The governor said the Province will look at its own towns and cities outside the highly urbanized city of Cebu because this is where the "new normal" will begin.