MANILA - A senator and a party-list lawmaker urged the government to prioritize economic relief for victims of tropical storm "Ondoy" (international code name Ketsana).

In separate statements, Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero said the government should release funds from the so-called economic stimulus package to help typhoon victims, while Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano proposed a 3-year moratorium on land rent, amortization, and loan payments by farmers in storm-hit areas.

"State abandonment of agriculture and massive corruption of funds devoted to agriculture pushes our farmers to run to loan sharks to produce their crops. The devastation wrought by typhoon Ondoy and the previous tropical depression Labuyo and Maring placed our farmers in deep debt," Mariano said.

"Ondoy" damaged 180,212 tons of palay (paddy rice) valued at P3.1 billion, or 2.8% of the country's fourth-quarter target of 6.48 million tons, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported Tuesday.

Of the amount, over P3 billion in damages was seen in rice in the reproductive or mature stage, while damages to palay in the seedling or vegetative phase reached over P42 million.
On the other hand, the DA said corn damages hit P43 million, while damaged high-value crops are seen to be worth P24 million.

Given these, Mariano called on the government to fast-track the release of funds to peasant organizations and cooperatives to subsidize production. He also urged Congress to approve House Bill 6808, which primarily aims to extend economic relief to small producers and entrepreneurs who have suffered damages from natural disasters.

"[The bill seeks to] extend, without need of declaring a state of calamity, the benefits of this program to small producers and small entrepreneurs who have suffered destruction and damages from natural calamities," Mariano said.

Meanwhile, Escudero stressed the need to realign portions of the government's so-called stimulus package to help victims of typhoon "Ondoy," particularly those situated in Metro Manila.

"It is important at this point for Metro Manila to immediately return to normalcy. It is also critical for Metro Manilans to regain their confidence especially after this tragedy," he said.

Earlier, Escudero called for a 3-month moratorium on loan payments to state-run agencies such as the Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, and the Home Developmetn Mutual Fund in Metro Manila and other storm-hit areas.

He also called on the 3 agencies to expedite the release of multi-purpose loans to members affected by "Ondoy."