My recent post on the need to establish Regional Food Consolidation and Distribution Centers to directly link farmers with the consumers received a flood of positive and encouraging reactions and praises from netizens.
Pero merong mga bagong followers ang Facebook page na ito na pinuna ang aking advocacy for a Direct Farm-Market-Consumer Linkage at nainsulto pa ako.
Sabi ng isang Jiho Nardo Keken: “Ngayon nyo lang naisip yan.. Tagal muna sa government…..”
Komento ni Bater Yambot: “Naging Agriculture Secretary bakit ngayon lang naisip?”
Mas arogante ang komento ni Yhwh Adonai: “Noong DA sec. ka nga di mo nagawa yan ngayon tatakbo ka pa sa senado…”
Medyo nakakainit ng tenga pero may patakaran ako sa pahina na ito na basta hwag lang magmumura, lahat ng opinyon igagalang ko at sasagutin ng maayos.
Modesty aside, I have quite a photographic memory when it comes to names. In fact, when I was Governor of North Cotabato I could identify which town a person comes from by just asking him his family name.
So, I am pretty sure that these three commenters are new followers who may have been drawn to this page because of my recent announcement that I am vying for a Senate seat.
Well, heto ang sagot ko sa kanilang tatlo.
I am not a seasonal agriculture advocate. Ibig kong sabihin, hindi ako nagiging farmer -friendly kung panahon ng eleksyon lamang.
Since I joined public service in 1995 as Mayor of Mlang and later as Governor of Cotabato, Agriculture na talaga ang advocacy ko.
In fact, isa sa mga Flagship Projects ko ay ang Plant Now, Pay Later Program kung saan binibigyan ng pananim – fruit trees, rubber, banana, oil palm at iba pa – ang mga magsasaka na babayaran nila kapag nag-umpisa silang umani.
Obviously when farmers plant, they have to harvest later which they will have to sell.
So, in my last 3-year term as Governor from 2004-2007, the provincial government tied up with SM Megamall in Manila for the Annual North Cotabato Fruit Festival which sold agricultural products and conducted business matching as well.
Some of the marketing agreements between farmers and Metro Manila buyers are still in effect until today.
When I was Agriculture Secretary, we held the DA Tienda in Manila and in Quezon which was a big hit as it featured farmers products sold at farm gate prices.
Why was this program not institutionalized?
Kasi ang National Food Authority at ang corporate agency nito na Food Terminal Incorporated ay inilipat sa Department of Agriculture mula sa Office of the Cabinet Secretary noon lamang September 2018.
Nag meeting na kami ng FTI para I revive ang corporation at palawakin ang coverage nito but this was already early 2019 and the budget needed to expand the operations of FTI could only be included in the 2020 General Appropriations Act .
Now, to answer the question why I have to seek a Senate seat to operationalize this concept, it must be understood that the law which created the FTI has to be amended to expand its coverage.
Also, a legislative measure giving the FTI a bigger budget to establish the Regional Food Consolidation and Distribution Centers is also needed.
So, sa mga detractors, hindi po ako seasonal na Agriculture Advocate.
As a real farmer myself, mine is a lifetime commitment – from the cradle to the grave as the saying goes.
#LifetimeCommitmentToFarming!
(First two images show a newspaper story and notice published in 2005 announcing the North Cotabato Fruit Festival in the SM Megamall in Manila. Photos show the DA Tienda and the MinDA Tienda which were held when I was Secretary.)
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