About 1,000 farmers, fishers, farm workers, and sugarcane harvesters from Batangas first district attended a picket-dialogue held at the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Calabarzon on June 18, at the Balayan Government Center, Balayan, Batangas. They united to pressure the local government to release the disaster compensation and calamity funds to help their livelihoods.

The activity was led by the Alyansa ng mga Magsasaka para sa Kumpensasyon (Alliance of Farmers for Compensation, or AMK) and Sugarfolks’ Unity for Genuine Agricultural Reform (Sugar)-Batangas. The attendance of hundreds of toiling masses responded to the DA’s dismissal on June 11 of their request for a formal dialogue to present their demands.

According to AMK, regional DA officials faced them for a dialogue for the first time, eight months after they first called for compensation and disaster funds when New Kristine devastated Batangas in October 2024.

Before the dialogue, groups from Batangas trooped three times and held pickets at the DA Central Office in Quezon City to press their demands. They emphasized that the DA’s recent engagement was not out of goodwill but a result of their collective action.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported in March that agricultural damages from calamities for more than 9,000 farmers in Batangas amounted to an estimated ₱1.1 billion. Damages per farmer ranged from ₱20,000 to ₱200,000.

They complained that funds exist to help the people but the government does not release them. According to information gathered by the organizations, ₱283.23 million in disaster funds from the Batangas provincial government for 2022 and 2023 remained unused.

At the dialogue, AMK and Sugar-Batangas demanded to immediately distribute sufficient compensation. They also requested that the department provide transparent information on the programs implemented to assist those affected by Typhoon Kristine.

According to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), in 2024 the Marcos regime allocated ₱88.26 billion for disaster and calamity compensation funds.

“Our farmers are drowning in losses from typhoons, flooding, and over-importation—while government funds meant for them remain untouched,” KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos (Ka Daning) said.

Ka Daning warned that Batangas residents may suffer even greater hardship and destruction of livelihoods in the coming months, especially as the Habagat season returns.