The visiting US trade and investment delegation led by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack should also take the opportunity to see for themselves the devastation caused by tropical storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng.

In reacting to the four-day visit of Vilsack, farmers belonging to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) asked Washington why it dispatched Vilsack to look into investment and trade opportunities and not to find out how the US could pitch in since the US is a major contributor to climate change and global warming.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and other groups want fairer trade and not full trade liberalization that would see them losing the domestic market to US farmers and those in neighboring countries.

Vilsack is in town on a mission to strengthen trade and investment ties between the two countries in such fields as fisheries, biofuels, livestock, poultry and dairy production.

No less than 2.5 million broilers of Tyson Foods in Bulacan were lost due to the flooding. The company supplies chicken to major fast food chains in the country.