Siquijor Governor Zaldy Villa described the Biyaheng Bukid Farmers Forum of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Wednesday as “historic.”
The island’s lone congressman, Ramon Rocamora, said the outcome of the consultation with farmers and fishermen was “simply beyond my expectation.”
Vice Governor Mei Ling Quezon said it was an event that the people of the island-province had never ever witnessed before.
For about four hours, farmers and fisher folks of one of the country’s poorest provinces listened to the programs and projects of the DAF and later lined up for their chance to air their problems and requests from government.
It was the first time, participants of the forum said, that they were able to interact directly with a Cabinet Secretary and it only happened because former Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte became President.
“This would not have been possible had Mayor Duterte not been elected as President,” said former provincial board member Galileo Jumawan, leader of the Duterte for President Movement in the island.
During the forum yesterday, the requests presented by the participants included a mother’s appeal that an agricultural college be established in the island.
She said her daughter wanted to be an agriculturist but since there was no agricultural school in the province, she was forced to take up education and is now a teacher.
In response to her request, I asked Cong. Rocamora to sponsor a bill in Congress calling for the establishment of the Siquijor Agricultural College.
Fishermen also asked for support to battle large fishing boats which are encroaching into their municipal waters depriving them of the opportunity to catch more fish.
Fisheries Region 7 Director Allan Poquita was instructed to provide two Patrol Boats for each of the six towns and 120 fiberglass fishing boats for the fishermen of the island.
Farmers also asked for Small Water Impounding Systems to hold water from the many springs of the island for agriculture and household use.
Four units of the Solar-Powered Irrigation System were committed to draw water from the four major springs of the island to provide irrigation water to the rice and vegetable farms.
Agriculture equipment was also requested by the province’s rice and corn farmers who produce the island’s food requirements.
Agriculture Regional Director Salvador Diputado was instructed to provide the island’s farmers with two more small farm tractors and other equipment.
Additional white corn and purple corn seeds will also be shipped to the province within two weeks to catch up with this year’s planting season.
In the end, the leaders and people of Siquijor accepted my suggestion that a Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Road Map should be drafted to set a direction for the development of the potentials of the province in food, fisheries and aquaculture production.
It was also agreed that the target of the 5-year PAF Road Map is to reduce the country’s poverty level from 55% to only 25% by the end of the term of President Duterte.
Next month, the planning sessions and workshops participated in by leaders and stakeholders of the province will be held to set the path in liberating this province’s people from poverty.
(Photos of the Biyaheng Bukid Forum in Siquijor town, Siquijor Province yesterday were taken by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID.)
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