Agriculture

Agricultural losses from Typhoons Uwan and Tino have surged past ₱4.14 billion, with assessments still ongoing, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA). Uwan caused the bulk of the damage at ₱3.17 billion, battering over 34,000 farmers and nearly 26,000 hectares of farmland. High-value crops—vegetables, spices, fruits, legumes, root crops, coffee, and cacao—sustained ₱1.52 billion in losses, while rice farms accounted for ₱1.47 billion across multiple regions in Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

The Philippines and South Korea have signed a new agreement to strengthen protections and opportunities for Filipino seasonal farm workers.

Lopez-led microgrid operator FP Island Energy Corp. has sealed a partnership with agri-tech start-up Agrabah Ventures Inc. to strengthen the livelihoods of farmers, fisherfolk, and local organizations in remote, off-grid islands in Caramoan and Garchitorena, Camarines Sur.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Department of Agriculture has mobilized emergency aid and farm inputs to help farmers and fisherfolk swiftly recover from the two tropical cyclones that struck the country just days apart, leaving a trail of damage across key agricultural areas.

Quezon City has ordered the temporary shutdown of 14 lechon restaurants in the famed La Loma strip after veterinary inspectors found hogs kept on-site were infected with African swine fever (ASF), a virus deadly to pigs and ruinous to business.