Farmers of premier, irrigated rice land harassed by Deca Homes
In previous years the rice paddies in photos below, at Brgy. Balabag, Pavia, Iloilo would be blooming with summer crops after the the rice harvest - tomatoes, melons, eggplants, thanks to the intricate network of irrigation canals of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) that brought water from Aganan River Dam from neighboring S an Miguel town. Families along the irrigation canals further add to their keeps by growing taro (dagmay, gabi), alogbate, kamote, bananas and raising livestocks like ducks. Today, only the dried, stumps of palay and some shoots thrive now. There is no water. The NIA canals have dried up. The NIA canal has dried up this early. No, the drying up is artificial. It is intended to add pressure to farmers to leave as demanded by Deca Homes. Some of the farmers are EP (emancipation patent) or (Certificate of Land Title) holders, meaning, they have the rights to own their farms as the land owners al