Batanes suffering from food shortage

BASCO, Batanes, Philippines – This northernmost province is suffering from acute food shortage, as stores have run out of supplies to sell.

Stocks of commercial rice have run out since a month ago. Sugar, cooking oil and noodles have long been gone in the shelves of stores.

Cooking gas is nowhere to be bought. Even animal feed is also not available, forcing livestock raisers to feed their animals with National Food Authority (NFA) rice.

The NFA still has a stock of 3,000 bags of locally milled rice. However, it could hardly be eaten as it stinks. The government rice arrived from Manila last June, but it could have been in the warehouse for quite some time.

According to the NFA office here, only a few of its dealers across the province are patronizing the agency since there are not too many customers.

Residents have turned to buying their food supplies from local farmers to sustain their daily living.

They have also turned to eating root crops like camote (sweet potato) and ube (yam) although these cost a little more, but are tastier and readily available at village stores.

The shortage of food supplies is due to the continued inclement weather, caused by the west monsoon, east monsoon and string of typhoons.

Compounding the situation is the grounding of two cargo ships that used to transport food supplies to the province.

M/V Saver I remains stuck at the rocky shore of Baluarte Bay where it ran aground last Aug. 10.

The other vessel, M/V JLL Pulsar, also ran aground last June 11.

Only M/V Transcend and M/V Saver II are alternating to deliver much needed food supplies and construction materials. But with the prolonged bad weather, there is little chance the Ivatans will be able to overcome their hunger.

M/V Saver II arrived last Sept. 13 with only 200 bags of commercial rice. This same ship has been taking shelter on Dalupiri Island in the Calayan Island Group since Oct. 2, as it could not cross Balintan Channel due to huge waves.

Gov. Vicente Gato said there is little chance for help from outside the province.

“Even the government air and naval assets cannot come to our rescue,” said Gato, a former Navy captain.

“With this kind of weather, they will not the risk their lives to bring in food supplies,” he added.

Gato’s political opponents agreed with him.