I had goosebumps when I stepped into the Plenary Hall of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations today.
For six days starting Monday, July 3, I will sit as Chairman of the 40th Session of the Food and Agriculture (FAO) of the United Nations.
The FAO Conference will be attended by 194 countries, 77 of which will be represented by Agriculture Ministers.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and Vatican State Secretary Cardinal Pietro Parolin will deliver keynote speeches during the opening ceremonies.
Palau President Tommy Remengau, Senate Agriculture Chair Cynthia Villar and Congress Agriculture Chair Cong. Jose Panganiban will also attend the conference.
Looking at the large hall, I could hardly believe that from my humble beginnings as a boy who grew up in the farm, who understood poverty and felt the pain of hunger, I would be given the rare privilege of chairing a conference which would discuss the things that need to be done to feed the world.
Being a farmer myself, this is the realization of an ultimate dream – that a farmer’s voice be heard and listened to.
This would not have been possible were it not for President Rody Duterte who appointed me as Agriculture Secretary.
Because of him, the dreams, aspirations and hopes of the farmer could now be shared with the world’s top policy makers in Agriculture.
(Photos by Usec Fred Serrano, Mayette Tudlas and myself.)
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