NO DRYING FACILITIES FOR SMALL FARMERS. We went around Pangasinan recently and the familiar sight we saw along the road were bags of palay being unloaded by farmers to be dried on the newly paved roads that are supposed to be for motor vehicles only.

This sight seemed to indicate that farmers again scored bumper rice harvests and would have to dry their palay fast so they can bring their product for milling and sell them as rice.

Obviously, the farmers are taking advantage of the scorching heat of the sun this summer to dry their produce since they have nowhere else to dry their palay.

But isn’t that appropriating part of the road for themselves illegal?

They find the roadside to be the most convenient place for drying their palay since these are close to their homes. Besides, it’s free!

The farmers say they choose not to bring their palay to the drying facilities either in Sta. Barbara, Villasis and Alcala because they cannot afford the rates offered to dry their palay.

On top of this, bringing their palay to the drying facilities entails transport costs that add to their financial burden.

But it appears that the bigger reason why they choose not use the drying facilities in the 3 towns is they are afraid they might be rejected by these facilities since they cannot meet the minimum volume of palay strictly required by these facilities.

These facilities were designed to dry big volumes of palay only and therefore not meant for small farmers tilling only a hectare of land or lesser like most of them.

They must have been designed to serve the hacienderos who produce in bigger volumes of palay, effectively discriminating against small farmers.

But the irony of it all is that the drying facilities in Villasis and Alcala that many are not operating were built with people’s money. (The facility in Sta. Barbara was bankrolled by the Korean International Cooperation Agency). – Leonardo Micua

 

POSTERING CAN BE HAZARDOUOS TO A VOTER’S HEALTH. Kapag may katuwiran, ipaglaban mo.

This was exactly what I did when I arrived home Wednesday night and was greeted by a candidate’s tarpaulin illegally posted at my home’s gate.

Mad, of course, I took photos of the posted tarpaulin and tried to get number of the candidate in the tarp.

I told him in a phone call, albeit in a polite but emphatic manner, that he should remind his campaigners not to repeat the act as they 1) are violating a Comelec rule on posting without the homeowner’s consent and, 2) they will lose votes for damaging the paint of the gate or any painted privately-owned structure where they indiscriminately post the tarpaulins using scotch/masking tape.

Also, I stressed that the reason I am complaining is not because I do not want that candidate but because I was trying to point out a Comelec violation and the disturbance and undue stress it caused me. Never did I allow any candidate to hang or post any campaign material in my home and its surroundings in any election.

The candidate hurriedly went to my home and talked to me, apologized and promised to do the necessary repair on the damaged painted gate.

His mom also came in after several minutes and said sorry.

I told them separately I appreciate their responses to my complaint. I salute them for their humility.

Lesson here is, voters and homeowners have the right to remove illegally posted campaign materials on their houses or premises. They, too, have the right to lodge a complaint against the erring candidates at the Comelec office.

Marami sa atin kasi ay laging nauunahan ng takot.

If I didn’t do what I did, I would have shouldered the expense for the repaint of the damaged area. That’s unfair.

If I didn’t raise a howl, candidates and their supporters could have concluded that what was done to me was “okay lang”.

When I came home Thursday night, the repair was done.— Tita Roces

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