NAGA CITY, Philippines – Farmers in Naga City’s Pacol Flower Farm who were affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine are hoping to sell what’s left of their crops for All Souls Day.
“Si ibang burak na matured na, pag gusto kang customer, nababakal pa man pero menus presyo na,” flower farmer Lucila Ador, secretary of Naga City Cut Flower and Rice Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (NCCFRFAC), said in an interview on Saturday, October 26.
(Some matured flowers, if the customer still wants them, they can be bought and at a lower price.)
Ador also assured potential customers that some plots were spared by the storm and that good quality flowers will also be on sale.
“Dai pa man lugi kami ta dakol pa man kami na pwede ibentang burak (We are not yet in income loss since we still have a lot of flowers that can be sold),” Ador said.
She said that weather conditions including drought and storms are really some of the challenges faced by the Pacol Flower Farm.
Thirteen flower farmers operate in the more than two-hectare Pacol Flower Farm located just 16 minutes away from Mt. Isarog.
Days before Kristine devastated Bicol Region, the farmers had anticipated a deluge of tourists as well as customers for All Souls Day.
Farmer Ryan Rucinas said in an interview on October 19 that they planned to hole out in the farms to accommodate tourists and buyers. “Puon ngunyan hanggang October 31, digdi na kami maturog para mag-abang sa dagsa kang mga customer (Starting now until October 31, we will sleep here already so that we can accommodate customers),” he said then.
Kristine began to affect Naga and the rest of Bicol just two days later, on October 21. Bicol became the hardest-hit region.
Pacol Flower Farm, also called Naga’s Little Baguio, gained popularity for its blooming plots of flowers especially in May and October. Compared to other natural attractions in Naga City, Pacol Flower Farm has no entrance fee as the farmers who plant there do not own the land and are not also required to pay lease.
Since the 1980s, the farm has been planted with a wide variety of flowers, drawing tourists and buyers from near and far.
Over 4.2 million Filipinos were impacted by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, which battered the Philippines with strong winds and heavy flooding, especially in Bicol.
– Rappler.com
Angelee Kaye Abelinde, a campus journalist from Naga City, is a second-year Journalism student of Bicol University and the current copy editor of The Bicol Universitarian. She is also an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024.