Budlaan bears brunt of extreme heat

Local

MORE than half of the crops in Barangay Budlaan, Cebu City have already been damaged by drought.

The severe destruction comes as relentless dry conditions continue to batter upland farming communities and cripple local food production.

A partial assessment from the Cebu City Agriculture Department (CAD) showed that 663 farmers across 19 barangays have already been affected by drought, with 233.57 hectares of farmland sustaining damage as of May 13, 2026.

The report, submitted by the Office of the City Agriculturist to City Administrator Engr. Albert Tan on May 20, identified Barangay Budlaan as the hardest-hit area in terms of percentage damage, with 51.91 percent of crops affected.

It was followed by Tagbao with 45.59 percent, Tabunan with 42.69 percent, Agsungot with 42 percent, and Kalunasan with 17.09 percent.

The CAD said the figures remain partial and may still increase as field validation and consolidation continue in other upland barangays.

Out of Cebu City’s 5,801 registered farmers, the department said the current drought impact represents an average damage rate of 13 percent across assessed agricultural areas.

While Budlaan posted the highest percentage damage, Tagbao recorded the largest affected farmland area at 65.38 hectares, followed by Tabunan with 51.74 hectares, Bonbon with 20.07 hectares, Budlaan with 19.89 hectares, and Taptap with 16.79 hectares.

The drought has affected a wide range of crops and ornamental plants grown in the city’s upland barangays.

Among the commodities most damaged were banana, eggplant, string beans, tomato, cucumber, ampalaya, sili, squash, sweet corn, and cassava.

Banana plantations in Budlaan, Bonbon, Mabini, and Sudlon I were among those affected, while vegetable-producing barangays such as Tabunan, Taptap, Guba, and Sinsin reported losses in tomato, cucumber, and ampalaya production.

The CAD also noted that ornamental plants cultivated in upland areas, including orchids in Budlaan, asters and gerbera in Babag, and wonder white varieties in several barangays, were vulnerable to extreme heat and limited water supply.

“The data indicate that severe drought significantly affected the agricultural productivity of the barangays, particularly crops that require sufficient water supply and stable growing conditions,” the report stated.

The agriculture office emphasized that the numbers remain subject to change as additional reports from Adlaon, Lusaran, Sirao, Sudlon II, Sapangdaku, Buhisan, Binaliw, Busay, and Toong are still being consolidated.

Officials said data validation and encoding were ongoing due to the volume of submissions from affected communities.

The latest assessment comes days after Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. warned that worsening dry conditions could devastate thousands of upland farmers and threaten the city’s food supply if government intervention is delayed.

Alcover, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, earlier urged Mayor Nestor Archival Sr., the CAD, and disaster response agencies to immediately implement drought mitigation measures, including irrigation support, emergency water supply systems, crop protection assistance, and subsidies for affected farmers.

The concern follows the latest advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), which raised an El Niño Alert after climate models showed a 79 percent probability of the phenomenon developing between June and August this year.

PAGASA warned that prolonged dry spells could trigger crop losses, reduced water supply, declining agricultural productivity, and rising food prices if conditions intensify through late 2026 and early 2027.

Amid the worsening heat, Cebu City’s Department of Public Services has also accelerated the rehabilitation of artesian wells to secure alternative water sources for communities.

The city earlier reported that 386 wells have already been restored and are now operational for non-potable household use while water quality testing continues.(TGP)