By Joshua Corcuera
After writing an article last week regarding what makes high school life different, I would like to share a specific experience I encountered during high school. If I’m not mistaken, this was more or less four years ago, it was the year 2016. By that time, my year level — Grade 10, formerly known as fourth-year high school prior to K-12 — was bound to travel on an outbound trip to Nueva Ecija.
Though the outbound travel lasted for only a day, more specifically like ten hours excluding the bus ride, several insights can be gained from such a notable experience. More importantly, it appears to be an eye-opener regarding the life of farmers — a profession overlooked in Philippine society.
Views from the bus ride: Flat greenery and rice fields
Personally, I admire bus rides, especially those long travels that take hours. After all, one can see several landmarks with one’s own eyes. On the way to Nueva Ecija, however, all that I saw was enormous plains — flatlands with planted rice and a few trees. This did not surprise me given its geographic location. For those who don’t know, Nueva Ecija is a province in Central Luzon — a region renowned for its rice production.
When we were about to arrive, the view of flat greenery was surreal given that I was born and raised in Manila. Consequently, I took several photos of what I saw, separated by a bus window. I even remembered my friend seated beside me laughing when I took photos of the green plains, he claimed that I took dozens of shots of the same view.
He had a good point, though, and we eventually unloaded the bus and went to the community where the outbound would be held. On the way to the community, some rode with the help of a kalabaw. While some, including me, rode a kuliglig — some sort of a tractor where a group of people can ride.
On the life of farmers: Simplicity and struggle
One of the events scheduled within the outbound was a conversation with a farmer. Our group — more or less fifty people — listened to a speaker who was farming in the area. I did not vividly remember if how long was she farming there or if she was farming ever since she was young, but what struck me was that their lives were pretty simple. At one time of the year, they would plant rice; on the other, they would harvest what they planted.
Every day, she shared, they would wake up early to take care of what they sow and avoid their crops from being destroyed. Otherwise, they would suffer for the whole year since they cannot recover the losses they incurred in planting rice. During the conversation, we were allowed to ask questions to the farmer. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, I didn’t ask a single question, but there are things I am still curious about.
What happens if a fortuitous event, such as a typhoon, imminently ravaged and destroyed their crops? Would they be capable of recovering? It is important to take note that the Philippines is a common victim of natural disasters. At the same time, agrarian reform is a serious issue concerning farmers. One of the reasons why many Filipino farmers find life difficult — especially compared to foreign counterparts — is that they do not have their own land, as such valuable property is controlled by the so-called hacienderos.
If I were born in rural Philippines, what lies ahead?
There are millions of Filipinos who are still living through the agricultural sector, and though some are capable of living comfortably, there are still many farmers who keep on fighting for better working conditions — land reform, irrigation, safety from landlords, and so on. With all those things I shared in mind, I sometimes ask myself: what if I were born in the province to ordinary farmers?
Those who live in such miserable circumstances and difficult conditions might be losing hope of a brighter future. While children of farmers fighting for land rights face uncertainty as well. There is no wonder if why some try to pursue careers not related to agriculture, though the quality of education in provinces also needs to be improved. Moreover, it is important to remember that staking a claim of land can be deadly in the Philippines as well. Some land rights activists were gunned down in various parts of the country.
Altogether, the struggle of the Filipino farmer is real and can be easily imagined. It is imperative for our leaders to genuinely listen to the plight of those who make a living out of agriculture. If we were to forget their voice, the future of farming in the country might be affected badly. After all, in a world where farmers are few, there won’t be enough food to feed everyone.
