MANAOAG– Intense praying for rains to stave off a calamity triggered by a dry spell across the country instantly brought storms to the country, this time flooding many towns and farmlands. It was a Catch 22 of sorts.

Just the previous week, the government and farmers were in a quandary over the prolonged absence of rain, leaving hectares of farmlands too dry for planting. Then last week, two tropical storms brought rains that flooded parts of northern Luzon provinces but fortunately spared much of Pangasinan.

Through all these, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, who was in this pilgrimage town Friday with Pangasinan Third District Rep. Rachel Arenas, Mayor Napoleon Sales, and other officials, held a series of dialogues with local chief executives and farmers associations in the towns of Basista and Sison which were affected by the dry spell.

“Palagay ko pinagbigyan tayo ni Virgin Mary kasi nagtirik ako ng kandila sa simbahan nong pumunta ako dito last week (I think Virgin Mary answered my prayer because I lighted candle at the church when I came here),” Yap said referring to the coming of the much-needed rainfall.

He, however, said in jest that perhaps there were too many candles lighted as there is now too much rainfall.

Yap said they could not ascertain just yet the exact damage brought by the sudden heavy downpour.

He noted that Pangasinan and the entire Region 1 has a critical role to play in meeting the target rice production of 16.3 million metric tons of rice in 2007 because out of the 9.3 million tons target harvest for the second quarter during the wet season, close to 3000,000 hectares will come from the Ilocos region.

He said he is exerting efforts to closely monitor Pangasinan because close to 140,000 to 150,000 hectares of the Region 1 total is located here.

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