EDITORIAL - From tragedy, opportunity

Agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala was interviewed recently on TV in connection with the devastation wrought by typhoon Pablo. It was a gem of an interview, largely because Alcala was able to present a very clear picture of the Philippine situation in Pablo’s aftermath.

Perhaps because he is a civil engineer by profession, Alcala was able to break down the situation into its various parts and then rebuild them again step by step in a manner that let the TV audience understand things better.

For example, to allow the audience a better appreciation of how grave the situation is for the whole Philippines and not just for the people in Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley, the areas hardest hit by Pablo, Alcala gave this presentation:

Of all Philippine exports, the biggest chunk is made up of agricultural products. Of all agricultural products exported by the Philippines, the biggest chunk is made up of bananas. Of all the bananas exported by the Philippines, the biggest chunk comes from the devastated areas.

There, if the direness of the situation still escapes you, then there must be something wrong with you, not with the explanation. But Alcala explains the direness further by explaining what happens as a consequence.

According to Alcala, the world does not stop eating banana just because the Philippines cannot supply its quota. The world’s appetite for banana is so voracious that if it cannot get it from the Philippines, it is going to get it from somewhere else.

And that somewhere else is Guatemala. That poor Central American country presents the most viable alternative supplier of banana if the Philippines conks entirely out of the picture. To Guatemala a world away, Pablo was the most wonderful thing to happen to its economic future.

Alcala fears that once Guatemala, or any other banana supplier for that matter, gets to sit where the Philippines once sat, it is not likely to relinquish that seat anymore, not even if the Philippines eventually recovers and tries to grab it back.

Right now, banana plantations in Mindanao have been wiped out. Alcala wants to fill the supply gap with bananas from other areas in the Philippines to deprive Guatemala the chance to sneak a foot through the door. From tragedy can come opportunities for other Filipino planters.