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This site must be preserved.
“The famed Ifugao Rice Terraces, inscribed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), continue to deteriorate at a fast rate,” reports Artemio Dumlao in The Philippine Star.
According to Banaue town Mayor Jerry Dalipog, 332 hectares out of the 1,600 hectares of the rice terraces have been damaged.
Dalipog explained that “earthworms have again invaded the terraces” and “there’s also the local tradition of dividing land among heirs, which decreases palay yield.”
The report noted: “But the biggest factor, the mayor said, is that many farmers have abandoned their terraces as irrigation has become limited.”
Dalipog revealed that “the Banaue municipal government started restoration in different areas of the town in 2012 with a PHP20-million financial aid from the Department of Agriculture.”
“We only have limited funds, so instead of paying for (tourism) promotion, we’re using the funds for restoration,” Dalipog said.
The report indicated that “so far, they have restored an aggregate of two hectares in Barangays Poitan, Bocos, Batad, View Point, and Poblacion.”
For 2015, PHP1 million from the town’s PHP14-million development fund will be used for the continuing rehabilitation efforts in these areas. Another PHP1 million will be allocated for the irrigation of the terraces.
Dalipog emphasized that their efforts in the terraces restoration “are not purely tourism-related, but are also for the environment, agriculture, and the preservation of their traditional practices.”
