When Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) battered central and northern Palawan in mid-December last year, coastal farmers lost all of the seaweeds they were growing, leaving them with very little to start with as they try to propagate a new batch of these marine plants. Odette’s onslaught resulted in unprecedented agricultural damage of up to P3 billion throughout Palawan, affecting 5,532 seaweed farmers who rely primarily on their farms as their single source of livelihood. Jhay-R Timbang, chair of Star of the North Agriculture Cooperative in the coastal village of Pularaquen in Taytay town, was among the thousands of individuals who are still struggling to recover from the impact of the typhoon, the strongest to have hit the country last year.

Miranda, R. (2022, February 16). In Palawan, seaweed farmers cry for help. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A5.