An Ilocos Sur peasant group denounced Governor Jerry Singson’s recent announcement that the local government would cut the budget for corn farmers by half or more. According to the Koalisyon dagiti Mannalon ken Mangngalap iti Probinsya ti Ilocos Sur (Kommpai, or Coalition of Farmers and Fishers in the Province of Ilocos Sur), this is a wrong move. Funding for the production of corn, rice, and other crops should, in fact, be increased.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority–Ilocos Sur in the first quarter of the year showed that the province contributed 14.6% of the total 365,109 metric tons of corn produced in the Ilocos Region. The region is the third largest corn-producing area in the country.

Compared with last year, corn production in the region fell by 1.8%. The decrease resulted from reduced harvest areas caused by unreliable irrigation and erratic rainfall. Ilocos Sur recorded the sharpest drop in production, reaching -5%.

Kommpai expressed deep disappointment over the local government’s plan to slash funds amid declining yields. The group opposed the reallocation of the reduced budget to tobacco production, the province’s primary crop.

This is the local government’s strategy to further promote tobacco cultivation because it receives a share of the excise tax collected by the national government from tobacco, according to the group.

“It is wrong to sacrifice the livelihood of corn and other crop farmers for tobacco, especially when funds intended for farmers continue to overflow,” Kommpai stated. The group added that the province’s progress should not depend on a single commodity or tax but on the just, equitable, and democratic management of national resources.

The farmers’ group called for an increase, not a reduction, in funding for corn and other crop cultivation. They said the subsidies for corn, rice, and other crops serve as vital support, especially when fertilizer, seed, and fuel prices are high.

Farmers urgently need this assistance because the farmgate prices of their products remain very low. “The reduction in subsidies is a direct sabotage of farmers’ livelihoods,” Kommpai said.

Anomalous fund for tobacco

This year, Ilocos Sur will receive the largest share of excise tax revenues amounting to ₱11 billion from Virginia tobacco production. It will also receive an additional ₱550 million from the production of Burley and Native tobacco.

Kommpai asked, “do farmers truly benefit” from the billions flowing into the province? The group questioned the local government’s emphasis on developing tobacco production and supporting tobacco growers.

If the local government truly supports tobacco growers, Kommpai said it should allocate a larger portion of the tobacco excise tax to production subsidies and farmers’ incentives. It should also fund the distribution of farm equipment, agricultural infrastructure, and assistance during calamities.

“If anything should be reduced, it is the allocation for infrastructure projects that do not address farmers’ needs,” the group added. Many purported “farm-related” infrastructure projects do not directly solve farmers’ problems.

These include the Center for Harvest Activities, Value Chain Development, Innovation, and Training Coliseum, or Chavit Coliseum, which opened in June. Kommpai also cited the Farmers Development Center and various post-harvest facilities built in barangays that are merely covered courts, multipurpose halls, or structures unrelated to production.

“This is a clear case of patronage politics—projects that focus not on the needs of farmers but on strengthening the power and influence of officials,” Kommpai said. The group further noted that the Singson political dynasty only releases funds when projects clearly serve its interests.

The farmers’ group added that many of these projects were built but merely left to rust. Some lacked operational funding, while others were for politicians’ personal use.

“These projects repeatedly prove the wide gap between planning and the real needs of farmers,” Kommpai stated.

The Commission on Audit has also criticized the improper or unsuitable use of tobacco excise tax funds. Multiple cases of corruption and anomalies in the spending of the said funds have been exposed.

Following the discovery of corruption cases in flood control projects, Kommpai is also pushing for an investigation into the misuse of tobacco excise tax funds.