Historic events PRES. DUTERTE LAUNCHES BIGAS-MAIS BLEND, COMMISSIONS TWO PHILIPPINE-MADE VESSELS

Mr. President, fellow workers in government, our partners in the private sector (Josefa Slipways, PhilMaize Foundation, Aboitiz, Ayala Corporation, Rustan’s), countrymen:

Today, we will witness history unfold.

For the first time in this country, we will commission two multi-mission vessels into the service of our government and the Filipino people

—BRP Lapu-Lapu and BRP Francisco Dagohoy – unique not only because they are named after two unheralded and largely ignored heroes but mainly because these two vessels were made by Filipino engineers and skilled shipbuilders.

BRP Lapulapu and BRP Francisco Dagohoy, which will join the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) small fleet of 16 vessels, will strengthen our campaign against illegal fishing and poaching by foreign fishing vessels, thereby safeguarding our country’s fishing grounds more effectively.

BRP Lapu-Lapu and BRP Francisco Dagohoy highlight Filipino craftsmanship and skills in terms of shipbuilding.

These were built by Josefa Slipways, Inc. in Navotas City, Metro Manila at a cost of about Php 250 million each which is P500-M lower than if these made overseas, meaning our government saved P1-B.

These vessels are at par with international standards, as all plans, drawings, and calculations conform to the rules, regulations, and requirements of Bureau Veritas, a world expert in Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) Services.

With your permission Mr. President, we will build two more of these every year starting 2019 up to 2022 so we will have a fleet of 10 MMOVs by the end of your term.

Also, Mr. President, I am asking your permission to build a specially designed vessel to ferry our food products like fish, vegetables and fruits from the remote areas of the country to our population centers.

As it is now Sir, nabubulok ang mga saging at prutas at nasisira lang ang mga isda dahil mahirap at masyadong mahal ang freight mula sa probinsya papuntang Manila.

This specially designed refrigerated vessel will be called the “Food Boat” and preliminary designs have already been submitted by our Filipino shipbuilding companies.

Earlier today, Mr. President, the Department of Agriculture Agribusiness and Marketing Office under Usec Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, the National Food Authority under Col. Jason Aquino and the PhilMaize Foundation under Mr. Roger Navarro, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the production, promotion and marketing of the Bigas-Mais which is actually a blend of rice and your favourite corn grits.

Unlike previous attempts promoting the eating of corn, this effort now will involve the actual marketing with the help of the NFA and big supermarket chains which is why our friends from Ayala, Rustan’s SM Supermarket and others are here.

Under the MOU, the DA will be in charge of ensure the availability of corn seeds, and provide the necessary interventions in production areas such as capacity building, farm mechanization, equipment, and postharvest facilities.

On the other hand, the NFA shall be responsible of distributing the and marketing the Rice-Corn blend to their regular retail outlet, government institutions (AFP, NDRRMC, DepEd, DSWD, LGUs, etc.), non-government organizations, and other institutional buyers, as well as monitor the product’s compliance to existing quality standards. PhilMaize, for its part, will be in charge of the processing, milling, packaging, and storage for the rice-corn blend.

There will be three (3) variants of the rice-corn blend which will be produced out of White Corn and Non-GMO Yellow Corn: (1) Regular (70%:30% Rice:Corn Ratio); (2) Special (50%:50% Rice:Corn Ratio); and (3) Premium (30%:70% Rice:Corn Ratio).

There are three key objectives in launching this new staple grains blend Sir.

First, it is estimated that the 500,000 metric tons of corn grits which will be introduced into the market in 2018 will satisfy the national requirements for staple food for only the second time in the history of this country.

(The first time the country achieved rice sufficiency was during the time of President Marcos when the introduction of the high-yield IR-8 or the Miracle Rice allowed the country to export rice briefly.)

We have a bountiful harvest of rice this year, Mr. President, and it is estimated that the 19.4-M metric tons of palay harvested this year brought us closer to rice sufficiency and we are only about 300,000 metric tons short.

The introduction of the Bigas-Mais Blend will fill up the gap and the country will no longer be dependent on imported rice to feed our people.

Second, offering corn grits to the Filipino consumers is a healthy option.

Being a corn eater yourself in your childhood days, you are the best proof of what a corn diet could do to a man’s stamina.

In fact, people who ask me where you get the energy to move around almost endlessly and staying up late at night have been told that your secret is that you were a corn eater when you were young and you still love to eat corn until today.

Third, by promoting corn as part of our staple supply, we open a huge market for our marginal farmers who plant White Corn and non-GMO corn thus making corn farming profitable and reducing poverty in the countryside.

Fourth, our tremendous population growth (estimated at 1.72% from 2010 to 2015), puts pressure on the government enough food supply.

We could only produce so much rice in our rice farming areas and this may not be able to sustain the needs of our people but with the introduction of corn, we will be effectively adding another 1-million hectares for food production.

Mr. President, before I end, may I make a request?

Puede ka ba maging endorser sa pagkain ng mais?

We need your support to correct the stereotyping Sir that corn is the staple of the poor.

Sigurado Sir kapag ikaw ang nag-endorse, bukas marami na maghahanap ng mais.

Salamat po.

(This was the message I delivered during the launching of the Bigas-Mais Blend Program and the Commission of BRP Lapulapu and BRP Francisco Dagohoy. Video courtesy of RTVM)

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