‘Billions For Ayuda Pero Bukid Walang Kalsada!’ (Last of 3 Installments)

Right after he assumed the Presidency, I submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte a proposal for a 6-Year Farm-To-Market-Road Program which would construct 13,000 kilometers of concrete roads connecting food production areas to the market.
The National Rural Road Program spread over six years was designed to address the backlog in the construction of FMRs and at that time, with a cost of P12-M per kilometer, P156-B or an annual budget of P32-B starting 2017 to 2022.
As expected, President Duterte endorsed the proposal because this was one of the reforms in Agriculture which we talked about even before he decided to run for President.
I emphasized that completing the Rural Road Network would be his lasting legacy to Philippine Agriculture and that it would address poverty while increasing productivity in the countryside.
Just like when I worked to deliver his promise of Free Irrigation during the campaign, I proceeded to do the legwork on the implementation of the National Rural Road Program.
The Department of Agriculture immediately conducted a natin-wide geo-tagging and aerial mapping of all proposed FMRs, giving priority to those which would boost food production in isolated areas.
For fund sourcing, I proposed that the FMR Program be included in the Build-Build-Build Program and when that did not happen, I suggested that we look at Bond Flotation.
The leadership of the House of Representatives supported the proposal for a bond flotation program to finance the construction of 13,000 kilometers of farm-to-market road, including farm and fisheries mechanization program.
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben P. Evardone, chair of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries, said the proposed bond flotation will speed up modernization of farming and boost direct access by farmers to markets.
He said this will also allow banks to comply with the requirement of the Agri-Agra Law to set aside 25% of their loanable funds for agricultural financing.
Evardone said the completion of the network of farm-to-market roads will boost the agriculture sector especially the effort of the Duterte Administration to provide available and affordable food to all Filipinos.
“I have discussed this concept of bond flotation with (Finance) Secretary (Carlos) Dominguez and he believes floating bonds to finance the construction of this vital road network is a good investment in the future of our rural areas,” Evardone said in a press statement issued by his office..
In spite of the positive reaction from Dominguez who was the head of of the Economic Team of the previous administration, nothing came out of the proposal.
This was one of my frustrations not because I did not get what I wanted but because our failure to complete the National Rural Road Network resulted in lost opportunities.
Today, as I witness the splurging of government funds on meaningless “Ayuda” Programs, I could not help but feel sad because even just half of the funds given out as dole-outs would be enough to build the rural roads needed by our farmers.
Again, this is another example of Policy Makers and Economic Managers failing to feel the pulse of the people and not seeing the most critical interventions needed to boost an inclusive Economic Growth.
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!