استمتع بـUnlimited مع Magzter GOLD

استمتع بـUnlimited مع Magzter GOLD

احصل على وصول غير محدود إلى أكثر من 9000 مجلة وصحيفة وقصة مميزة مقابل

$149.99
 
$74.99/سنة

يحاول ذهب - حر

Wilting laborers, sprouting smugglers: The crisis in the Philippine tobacco industry

April 20, 2025

|

Manila Bulletin

Summer's heat could peak at 51 degrees Celsius this afternoon, so Eddie Garabiles, 55, took shelter under the shade of the curing barn he made with coconut leaves, its frame held together by bamboo. He could suffer from heat stroke under the raging midday sun if he insisted on tending to his tobacco farm.

- By DERCO ROSAL

Wilting laborers, sprouting smugglers: The crisis in the Philippine tobacco industry

As deadly as the sun's heat can be, Garabiles has no choice but to depend on the weather it's all his one-hectare (ha) farm needs. His crops are nearing harvest, with the lush green leaves of his tobacco plants slowly turning a pale yellowish green.

Like many farmers in their late 50s and early 60s, Garabiles religiously tends to his farm. He rises before the sun, making his way to the lush green fields just a 10-minute walk away. He takes a break at midday, then returns once the heat becomes more bearable.

Growing tobacco requires a keen eye; unlike other crops, tobacco cannot simply be left to the gods after transplanting. It demands constant attention.

Some tobacco farmers in the northern Philippine town of Candon, Ilocos Sur, lose their lives while keeping their tobacco fields alive during cropping seasons.

Most of them have no children to inherit their gloves and boots once their bodies begin to wilt with age. And even for those who do, the land is likely to be sold off the following year.

Garabiles must have been born under a lucky star as he has two sons-among his four children-who also farm tobacco. Finding a successor for his land won't be a worry for him.

Yet his town is still plagued with the belief that growing tobacco is a poor man's work. That is why Candon locals who went to universities funded by their parents' earnings from tobacco choose to wear white collars instead of sun-worn sweaters, sweat-soaked caps, and muddy slippers.

Perhaps it's because tobacco farming is seen as futile labor, offering little of the wealth that Ilocanos aspire to have. Garabiles has been a farmer since he was barely 16. "I've been working here since I was young," Garabiles said. The farm is where he grew into a man, where he married, and where he continues to survive, day by day.

المزيد من القصص من Manila Bulletin

Manila Bulletin

Gov't institutions have no stability at all—VP Sara

Vice President Sara Duterte hit the government anew for having no stability at all amid massive reports of corruption in infrastructure projects and the continuous politicking and posturing for the 2028 elections.

time to read

2 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

PH losing trillions to anomalous flood control projects - Dizon

More than 100 infra reported as 'ghost,' 'very substandard'

time to read

7 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

Exporters cut target as tariffs bite

The country’s leading group of exporters is reducing its forecast for exports of goods and services this year to a new low, driven by the escalating impact of United States (US) tariffs and exacerbated by government intervention that continues to lag behind the industry’s most urgent needs.

time to read

2 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

Wild opulence

Cary Santiago and Diagold unite for a grand showcase of animalia couture and Cebuano creativity

time to read

2 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

'Nando' could reach super typhoon category as it nears northern Luzon—PAGASA

Tropical Depression Nando tracked slowly over the Philippine Sea Thursday, Sept. 18, with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warning it may intensify into a super typhoon as it moves toward Northern Luzon.

time to read

2 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

The Strada, reborn as the more fuel-efficient Triton

Mitsubishi Triton GLS 2WD AT

time to read

3 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

RFM declares P1-B cash dividend in 2025

Concepcion-led food and beverage firm RFM Corp. has declared its fourth cash dividend for the year, bringing the total to P1 billion so far for 2025.

time to read

2 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

House sets plenary debates on 2026 budget on Sept. 22

Ranking members of the House of Representatives have announced the start of the plenary debates on the P6.793-trillion proposed national budget for 2026 on Monday, Sept. 22.

time to read

2 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

Comelec decision to suspend poll preparations backed

Election watchdogs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao backed the decision of the Commission on Elections to suspend preparations for the upcoming first parliamentary elections in the region next month amid legal woes.

time to read

2 mins

September 19, 2025

Manila Bulletin

Defense urges ICC: Let Duterte be temporarily free amid 'fitness' proceedings delay

The defense for former president Rodrigo Duterte has asked the International Criminal Court's (ICC) pretrial chamber for his temporary release, pointing out that administrative delays caused by questions on his health condition should not hinder his right to liberty.

time to read

1 mins

September 19, 2025

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size