The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) criticized the conduct of the Interagency Territorial Defense Operations Exercise (ITDOEx), or Pag-Ugyon 2026, in Iloilo, saying government resources are being channeled toward military preparedness while farmers and fisherfolk across Panay and the Visayas face escalating threats from the climate crisis and worsening agricultural insecurity.

More than 1,200 participants including government responders, military personnel, evacuees, and role players are expected to take part in the exercise. The two-day activity, to be held in the municipalities of Miag-ao and San Joaquin, will be spearheaded by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Joint Task Force “Spear,” local government units, and various government agencies.

According to organizers, the exercise aims to test Iloilo’s readiness to respond to territorial defense-related emergencies and potential civilian spillover scenarios.

KMP pointed out that government agencies are mobilizing personnel and resources for territorial defense simulations at a time when rural communities are bracing for the combined effects of a looming El Niño and the onset of the southwest monsoon, or Habagat.

“National security begins with ensuring that food is produced, farmers can earn a decent livelihood, and communities are protected from disasters. No amount of civilian-military exercises can compensate for the government’s failure to address widespread hunger, rural poverty, and climate vulnerability,” KMP said.

KMP’s Panay chapter, Paghugpong sang mga Mangunguma sa Panay kag Guimaras (PAMANGGAS-KMP), likewise questioned the government’s priorities. “While farmers struggle with rising production costs, low farmgate prices, indebtedness, inadequate irrigation, and recurring climate-related disasters, government spending and attention are increasingly directed toward defense and security initiatives,” the group said.

According to PAGASA, there is more than an 80 percent probability that El Niño conditions will fully develop between June and August, intensify into a strong El Niño by October to December, and potentially persist into early 2027. At the same time, the Habagat is expected to bring near-normal rainfall across much of the country from June to September. However, El Niño may also enhance southwest monsoon activity, resulting in above-normal rainfall in the western parts of the country from July to August.

“For farmers, the threat is not a hypothetical invasion scenario. The threat is already here,” KMP said. “They face drought and water shortages on one hand, and destructive flooding and crop losses on the other,” said KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos.

The peasant group stressed that farming communities in Western Visayas continue to suffer from the long-term impacts of successive climate disturbances. Previous El Niño episodes caused billions of pesos in agricultural losses across the region, damaging tens of thousands of hectares of farmland and affecting rice, corn, sugarcane, fisheries, and other agricultural commodities.

Now, farmers face another cycle of climate-related disasters. Reduced rainfall associated with El Niño threatens crop production and irrigation supplies, while intensified Habagat episodes can trigger flooding, soil erosion, crop destruction, and damage to rural infrastructure.

“This is the cruel reality confronting farmers: drought destroys their crops, then floods destroy what remains,” KMP said. “Instead of strengthening irrigation systems, expanding production support, and preparing communities for climate disasters, the government is investing time and resources in territorial defense exercises.”

The group argued that the worsening climate crisis has become one of the gravest threats to national food security.

“The country’s food producers are fighting a daily battle against drought, floods, low incomes, and government neglect. These are the real threats confronting rural communities today,” KMP said.

KMP once again challenged the Marcos administration and local governments in the Visayas to redirect resources toward compensation and assistance for farmers and fisherfolk, climate adaptation and agricultural development programs, irrigation rehabilitation, crop insurance, emergency production support, post-harvest facilities, disaster preparedness measures, and genuine agrarian reform.

“The dual threat of El Niño and Habagat once again places Visayas agriculture at high risk. The government must prioritize the security of farmers, food production, and rural livelihoods,” KMP said. “Food security and not war games should be the nation’s foremost defense concern.” ###