Allocate calamity funds to rehabilitate fingerlings industry

We urge Malacanang to allocate funds to fast track the recovery of losses incurred by the agricultural sector in the wake of typhoons Pedring and Quiel.

We need immediate restocking of bangus fingerlings in small fishpens in Bulacan and other areas damaged by the typhoons. Left alone, it would take them 60 to 75 days to restock. That would take too long. If we don’t act fast, this will impact our food supply chain.

We also urge the Department of Agriculture to give away fingerlings for free to fishpen owners to help them recover.

Most of these fishpen owners are left with nothing. Wala na rin silang pambayad para mag-restock. Instead of subsidizing, the DA should give away fingerlings for free.

Data from the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food (PCAFI) show that more than 36,000 metric tons of bangus and tilapia were lost due to typhoon Pedring alone. In Hagonoy, over 7,000 hectares of fishponds were destroyed. Figures are expected to go higher as officials tally the damages. BFAR can get fisherlings from their stock as well as private hatcheries. The government needs only to allocate funds for the DA to be able to give away the fingerlings to fisherfolk as soon as possible.

Let us prioritize small fishfarmers and help them get back on their feet and help mitigate the damaging effects of the typhoon. If we don’t do so soon, we will feel the immediate effects on our food supply chain. We urge the government to allocate and release funds now for the immediate restocking of our food.

Unmask the masterminds behind the P7.5B bogus farm-market roads

We ask our committee to investigate the enormous amount released from the Department of Agriculture during 2010’s election period supposedly to be used in constructing farm to market roads. The amount of P7.5B was released, however, without a work program.

If found true that no farm-to-market road was constructed when this amount was released from January to June 2010, then those responsible for this anomaly must be held accountable and must explain themselves to those who toil their farms relentlessly yet remain below the poverty line.

We will file a resolution calling for an investigation into the anomaly, especially considering COA reports that funds to be used in constructing farm-to-market roads in Maguindanao were mostly spent for gas purchases from service stations owned by former President Arroyo’s known allies the Ampatuans.

This is plunder. Our people were deprived of the opportunity to improve their lives with the help of these much-needed roads. Tapos na ang panahon ng garapal na pagnanakaw. Panahon na para makamtan ng ating mga kababayan, partikular ang mga magsasaka, ang matagal na nilang hinihingi na hustisya. Kailangan nating matunton kung saan napunta ang napakalaking pondong ito at pagbayarin ang mga kasabwat sa anomalyang ito.

Fast-track delineation of waters in the Philippines

We urge the Department of Agriculture to create an inter-agency task force that will be responsible for the fast-tracking of the delineation of municipal waters in the country.

We have data that proves delineation doubles the income of our fisherfolk and yet, only 57 municipal waters out of the total 920 have been delineated. At this rate, only 4 coastal municipalities are delineated every year. That is unacceptable. The DA needs to fast-track this process to help increase the income of our fisher folk the soonest possible time.

Renewed faith of the private sector to the agri sector

We welcome the good news that the country’s agriculture sector posted substantial growth in the first semester of 2011.

The strength of the agri sector comes from a renewed faith of the private sector and the agriculture sector in the Agriculture Department brought about by its sincerity and its serious desire to deliver results. The private sector is now willing to engage and actively participate in contributing to the agriculture economy because it believes in the leadership of DA Secretary Procy Alcala and President Noy Aquino.

Our work in the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food is primarily focused on improving the quality of life of our farmers. The solid fist-half growth in the agriculture sector should attract more investors from the private sector and venture into agricultural businesses. This shows we are on the right path to progress. We just need sustained push and support for the agriculture sector. There is no reason why we cannot be at par with, or indeed surpass, major agricultural nations in Southeast Asia.

Promote Philippine native cuisine

We recommend a stronger push for Filipino cuisine as a driver of both tourism and agriculture.

The promotion of Philippine native cuisine and delicacies will give a strong shot in the arm for our agriculture and fisheries sector and for the food industry that directly springs from agri and fisheries.

Twenty years ago, Thai and Vietnamese food were unknown in major cities worldwide. That isn't the case today. What Vietnam and Thailand achieved in the last twenty years the Philippines can do in the next twenty years. Placing Philippine native cuisine in the world map isn't far-fetched.

Philippine seafood is arguably the best in the world. Our lobsters, oysters, shrimps, mussels, fish, and crabs are better tasting than those produced elsewhere. The next DOT chief must place food in the centerpiece of the Philippine tourist experience.

In spite of the presence of large Filipino communities around the world, Filipino cuisine hasn't yet broken out into the global marketplace--at least not the way the cuisine of its neighbors have captivated global tastebuds.

It's time for us to show the world that Filipino cuisine, just like our beaches and our people, is truly world-class.

Investigate the controversial NICA report of looming food shortage in the country

We will file a resolution calling for an investigation on the controversial report purportedly released by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) of a looming food shortage in the country.

Hindi biro ang usaping ito at lubhang napaka-sensitibo para gamitin ng ilang mapagpangahas na grupo o indibidwal para sa sariling interes. If it’s true that this issue is being manipulated to drive prices high, then it’s a matter that needs our serious attention.

We are working closely with the Department of Agriculture in monitoring the state of the nation’s food supply. Together with the COCAFM and the private sector, we created a task force whose mandate is to ensure food security. The task force, named Agriculture and Fisheries 2025 (AF2025), includes all the major players in the food supply chain in the country and aims to provide long-term, sustainable solutions to the various problems that continue to plague the agricultural sector.

Speculation is one of the problems we’ve identified and this needs to be addressed. In this particular case, if we find out that it is manufactured and that unscrupulous traders are behind this, then they should be punished.

When calamities strike, what happens to our farmers? The state must care for those who break their backs day in and day out to feed our people

Typhoon Juan has left many of our fellow Filipinos, especially those in the northern provinces, displaced and once more worrying not only about their security for now, but also about their source of livelihood for months to come.

The National Food Authority reported last night that "up to 70%" of unmilled rice crops in the northern Philippines could be damaged by Typhoon Juan.
News reports also quoted Andrew Villacorta, DA executive director in Cagayan Valley, as saying that estimated losses could go up to 159,000 metric tons, covering 88,000 hectares, in Isabela, and up to 63,000 metric tons (43,000 ha) in Cagayan province.
Imagine that.



Which is why we're calling on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to extend all possible forms of assistance and relief to farmers and agricultural workers most affected by Typhoon Juan. Nananawagan po kami sa DA na agarang maglabas ng anumang ayuda na maaari nating maibigay sa ating mga magsasaka. Alam natin na walang kalaban-laban ang mga magsasaka sa pinsalang dulot ng mga bagyong tulad ni Juan, at wala na silang ibang maaasahan maliban sa mga programang pinansiyal ng pamahalaan.

Bukod sa DA, nananawagan rin kami sa mga punong-lalawigan na magtabi ng emergency funds at magbukas ng mga emergency loans na makatutulong sa mga nasalanta ng bagyong Juan.

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We also need to start developing long-term, sustainable measures to address the usual threats faced by our farmers. The Philippines is battered by an average of 20 typhoons a year, yet we always seem to be caught by surprise when a storm hits. We ought to strengthen crop protection measures for our farmers, who are always the biggest losers when faced with natural calamities.

We did some research on crop protection facilities and practices, and we found an April 2009 study by by Celia M. Reyes and Sonny N. Domingo for the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. Entitled "Crop Insurance: Security for Farmers and Agricultural Stakeholders in the Face of Seasonal Climate Variability", it revealed that "formal lending institutions and crop insurance were virtually non-existent in select farming communities" in Isabela. Further, "local usurers and loan sharks have long been profiting from smallholder agicultural workers through high-interest loans", leaving farmers "up to their necks in debt."

Imagine that. Halos walang-wala na nga sa buhay ang ilan sa ating mga magsasaka, lalo pa silang nawawalan at tila inaabuso pa ng mga sakim at ganid.

This brings me to a point I've been trying to stress in recent statements. We really need to sit down and craft a more comprehensive review of agricultural policies under the Aquino administration, together with all concerned sectors. Our farmers need our help. We owe it to them. The state must care for those who break their backs day in and day out to feed our people, by providing state-funded progams that will help tide them over in the short run and raise their incomes and the quality of their lives in the long run.

Congratulations to Lea Salonga on appointment as Goodwill Ambassador of UN Food and Agriculture Organization

We congratulate Ms. Lea Salonga for having been named Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, alongside Italian actor Raoul Bova, Canadian singer Celine Dion, and American actress Susan Sarandon. Her status will certainly bring much-needed attention to food and agriculture issues, and we hope this paves the way for more discussion and dialogue on the issues that affect majority, if not all, of our people.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, we enjoin all sectors of society to forge stronger partnerships to ensure food security and the opening up of more opportunities for our agricultural workers. We cannot hide the fact that the Philippines is an agricultural country, so we need policies that would address the lack of investments in agriculture, productivity, food security, income and livelihood in this sector.