FOLLOWING the onslaught of the two typhoons that recently hit the Philippines, a lawmaker on Tuesday called on the international donor community for assistance to rehabilitate the Ifugao Rice Terraces whose collapse now threatens to cause massive floods to communities below Magat Dam.
Representative Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao said that huge portions of the rice terraces—commonly referred to by Filipinos as “the eighth wonder of the world”—had collapsed during the height of the two typhoons that recently struck northern Luzon.
He also said that “significant funds will be required to put them back into their original splendor” after the areas was also struck by typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel.”
“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,” Baguilat said.
He also said that the recent disaster report from the province showed that the main terrace districts are among the most damaged by the successive typhoons, with Banaue suffering the biggest damage. Mayoyao, Hungduan and Kiangan were also affected by the worst natural disasters to hit the province in recent years.
Baguilat, without giving figures, claimed that Ifugao was one of the provinces hit hard by the two typhoons, “causing millions of pesos in damage to infrastructure and property, prompting the province to declare a state of calamity.”
“Funds have been slowly trickling in but much more needs to be sourced to help the province classified as one of the poorest in the Philippines, but one of the biggest tourism draws in the country due to the Ifugao Rice Terraces, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco,” Baguilat explained.
Further, Baguilat also said there was an urgent need to restore the terraces as they act as a giant water purifier and also help minimize soil erosion, which is one of the causes of flooding, adding that many of the Ifugao residents rely on the terraces for their livelihood.
He said that restoring the rice terraces would also help prevent the further siltation of the Magat Dam, which sources a big part of its water from the Cordillera mountain range. “Magat dam has become heavily silted and easily overflows during continuous rains during the storms. Rehabilitating the rice terraces will minimize siltation due to soil erosion,” Baguilat added.
