By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Local officials and residents in Ifugao are urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to immediately release financial assistance for the rehabilitation of the historic Batad Rice Terraces, warning that continued delays could lead to further destruction of the centuries-old UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The appeal comes seven months after Super Typhoon Uwan triggered a massive landslide that killed two residents, destroyed a centuries-old irrigation canal, and damaged more than two hectares of rice paddies, disrupting the livelihood of around 150 farmers.
Provincial officials said rehabilitation work has been slowed by delays in government funding even as the rainy season threatens to worsen erosion in the affected areas.
“We hope President Marcos hears our appeal,” Ifugao Governor Jerry Dalipog said during the recent Tinawon Rice Harvest Festival in Batad.
Dalipog announced that the provincial government has allocated P2 million in immediate assistance but emphasized that a full-scale restoration would require support from the national government.
According to Steve Baccay, head of the Provincial Agriculture and Environment Office, the rehabilitation project is expected to cost about P30 million.
Batad is among the five clusters of the Ifugao Rice Terraces recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1995. Renowned for its amphitheater-like landscape and centuries-old stone walls, the terraces remain one of the country’s most treasured cultural landmarks.
Dalipog noted that Batad’s distinctive stone-walled terraces have survived for generations and deserve immediate protection from further deterioration.
He recalled that previous administrations extended substantial financial assistance after earlier disasters struck the site. Former President Benigno Aquino III approved P20 million for repairs following a major landslide in 2011, while President Rodrigo Duterte later released another P30 million in restoration funds through the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.
The governor expressed hope that President Marcos would authorize a similar rehabilitation package to preserve the national heritage site for future generations.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. was expected to inspect the damaged terraces and submit an assessment to the President to support funding recommendations.
Barangay Chairman Romeo Heppog stressed that immediate intervention is needed, saying extensive rehabilitation work remains unfinished before another powerful typhoon strikes.
Agriculture experts also warned that exposed slopes and unstable soil continue to threaten the terraces.
Reynaldo Diocton, senior specialist at the Philippine Rice Research Institute, said the damaged portions remain highly vulnerable to further erosion if left unrepaired during the rainy season.
Meanwhile, residents have continued rehabilitation efforts despite limited resources.
Villagers earlier organized bachang, the Ifugao tradition of communal labor similar to bayanihan, to clear debris, repair damaged fields, and assist affected families.
Government assistance has also been slow in reaching beneficiaries. Farmers who participated in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s food-for-work program have yet to receive their food assistance, while another 120 residents are scheduled to rebuild damaged stone walls under the Department of Labor and Employment’s TUPAD program.
Local heritage advocates also lamented delays in the release of a P3.5-million grant from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts intended for restoration following an earlier landslide in 2024.
Despite the setbacks, Batad farmers continue repairing the terraces by hand, determined to preserve a landscape that has sustained generations of Ifugaos.
“We are restoring these terraces not only for ourselves but for our children and future generations,” one farmer said, reflecting the community’s resolve to protect one of the Philippines’ most iconic cultural treasures.
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