Opo, maglilingkod ako! Pangarap ni Tatay at Lolo Jose Bibigyan Katuparan Sa Senado

Today, I have reached a decision to vie for a seat in the Philippine Senate to pursue my advocacy to help the Filipino farmers and fishermen become more productive while at the same time ensuring food security and economic prosperity in the country.

I am heeding the call of the agriculture and fisheries sector to be their voice in the Senate and to stand up and ensure their well-being against the deluge of Anti-Agriculture Policies and Legislations which had made life difficult for them.

Hindi madali ang laban na ito dahil una, wala naman akong sapat na pera para igastos sa isang national campaign na sabi ng marami ay maaring umabot ng mga P500-M.

I do not have P500-M, not even a tenth, but close friends have pledged to support in whatever way they could by lending vehicles and volunteering to print tarps and campaign in the field.

Farmers groups have volunteered to help and many local officials, including Governors, who knew of my work ethics and dedication to Agriculture, have pledged to cross party lines to support my advocacy.

Ito po ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit masyado akong matagal na nakagawa ng desisyon na tatakbo sa Senado.

In the end, however, I came to realize that if I do not step up and volunteer to serve, masyadong magiging kawawa ang mga magsasaka, mangingisda at mga manggagawa na apektado sa pagdagsa ng mga imported na produkto.

I am also doing this in memory of the hardships and struggles of my forebears who were farmers all their lives and never had the luxury of enjoying a fair reward for their labor.

Marami po ang hindi nakaka-alam nito, subali’t ang katotohanan ay Apo ako ni Jose Cordero Piñol, isang mahirap na magsasaka na tumulak mula Dingle, Iloilo papuntang Mindanao upang magtrabaho bilang “Sacada” bago pa ang World War II.

Along with his wife, Azucena Magbanua, they settled in Upi and later M’lang, Cotabato where they worked hard to send their children to school, including my father, Bernardo, who became a teacher but remained a farmer.

Nakita ko ang hirap na dinanas ni Lolo at ni Tatay, lalo na kapag mura ang bili ng kanilang ani at mga produkto and these memories were deeply etched in my mind.

When I became a mayor for three years and Governor of Cotabato for nine years, I focused my advocacies on agriculture and even came up with a program called the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) which is now a very successful national anti-poverty program of the Department of Agriculture.

In May 2016, shortly after the victory of then President-elect Rodrigo Roa Duterte, his close-in aide, Christopher Lawrence Go, asked me what Cabinet position I wanted to occupy in the Duterte Presidency.

My answer was quick: “Agriculture.”

“Second choice?,” Bong asked me and my answer was “None. Only Agriculture.”

I almost cried when the President announced that I would be his Agriculture Secretary and my heart was pounding heavily because of the thought that a farmer’s son will finally be able to improve the plight of the Filipino farmer and fisherman.

I had no inkling that I would be up against interest groups and Neo-Liberal Economists who considered agriculture as an Economic Activity whose performance should be measured based on the quarterly inflation numbers.

That was when I realized that even an Agriculture Secretary who is a friend of the President does not stand a chance to institute reforms in Agriculture when pitted against the so-called Economic Managers and legilslators with vested interests.

The toughest battle I had was over the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) which I and the stakeholders had opposed but which was railroaded by the powerful Economic Team led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.

My head-on collission with the Economic Team led to my resignation as Agriculture Secretary in August 2019.

I perfectly understood why President Duterte sided with the Economic Managers on the RTL issue. They promised that the price of rice in the market would go down by at least P7 and the the Filipino rice farmers who would receive support through the Tariffs collected would be competitive.

Of course, they were proven wrong but they are too proud to admit their mistake and even our relentless advocacies to call for a review of this measure had fallen into deaf ears.

This was when I realized that there is really a need for somebody who truly understands Agriculture and the important role of food production in the well-being of the country to participate in the policy making and passage of legislations.

So, today I am stepping up to the call to serve and as I have shown in my long years of government service, I will serve with all my strength, determination and heart.

I am going to vie for a seat in the Senate bringing with me a head full of practical and doable ideas on how to boost Philippine Agriculture and a heart burning with love for the Filipino farmers, fishermen and workers.

Our mission is clear and precise: Let us turn the Philippines into a major producer in Agriculture and Fisheries in this part of the world while at the same time create income and job opportunities so that our loved ones do not have to leave home to find work abroad.

We have the God-given resources to achieve this and all that we need are the correct policies and legislations which are already in my head.

#FoodProductionJobGeneration!

#CountMeInIWillFightForYou!