Bayambang, Pangasinan, has been placed under a state of calamity after Tropical Storms Luis and Maymay and the enhanced southwest monsoon wiped out more than P31 million in crops, the town’s municipal council confirmed over the weekend.
P31 million in farm losses
The Municipal Agriculture Office reported 577 farmers affected, with damage covering 615.79 hectares and estimated losses of P31,280,958.81, according to Municipal Resolution No. 371, Series of 2026. The damage spread across the town’s main farm sectors:
| Sector | Farmers | Area | Estimated loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 550 | 586.53 ha | P17,849,243.81 |
| High-value crops | 25 | 28.26 ha | P13,362,995 |
| Corn | 1 | 1 ha | P43,720 |
| Livestock (goats) | 1 | 3 goats | P25,000 |
Rice farmers took the hardest hit, with 550 growers reporting losses across 586.53 hectares of rice fields.
What the declaration unlocks
The Sangguniang Bayan said the damage went beyond standing crops, warning that the prolonged weather had disrupted farmers’ ability to buy inputs, prepare fields and replant. Under the declaration, the municipal government may intensify disaster response and mobilize resources for relief, rehabilitation and livelihood restoration.
- Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture, the Provincial Agriculture Office and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.
- Distribute seeds, planting materials, fertilizers and livestock support
- Prioritize rehabilitating damaged farms and helping farmers resume production
Part of a wider storm season
Bayambang is one of several areas in Luzon coping with the tail end of a brutal Habagat stretch. Pilandok became August’s fifth cyclone this weekend, red rainfall warnings kept Metro Manila and Luzon on alert, and another Pangasinan town logged heavy farm losses from days of rain.
The state of calamity will remain in effect until conditions normalize and the council, based on an updated damage assessment, decides it can be lifted.
