TUBLAY, Benguet - Over 30 hectares of land made useless by recent typhoons are back in business.
Tublay Mayor Ruben Paoad said Barangay Coruz is embarking on a program so quality coffee can be harvested in an effort to bounce back from the devastation of typhoons in 2009.
Paoad said the municipality has started the coffee plantation project in Coruz and is waiting for aid coming from the Department of Agriculture.
Paoad said "we are trying to rehabilitate the area and turn into agro-forestry [project]."
The mayor said 8,000 seedlings have already been planted and is waiting for 5,000 more from the DA.
The barangay was one of the worst hit during the rainy season last year rehabilitation has become a community effort.
Paoad said the project aims to give back lost livelihood to the people of the municipality and make use of the land now deemed unsafe for occupancy by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Paoad said a similar declaration has been given to Barangay Sto. Nino but the community has been aggressive in restoring parts of the community.
Paoad said: "We have told them to relocate but they do not want to leave, it is really difficult," saying the area is also their source of livelihood. (Maria Elena Catajan)