Sen. Cynthia Villar keynotes Farmers’ Forum in Siargao
(June 26, 2018)
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food over-all Chair Cynthia Villar assured everyone that on July 23, the Coconut Industry Development Law will be passed by the bicameral Congress.
Then Gov. Francisco Matugas said that for the first time in history, an incumbent Senator administered the oath of barangay officials in Siargao last June 22. He also narrated his strong linkage and unvarying association with former House Speaker Manny Villar who worked for the concreting of roads in their Manila dwelling in order to thwart inundation.
According to Sen. Villar, pursuant to the proposed measure, the 100 billion peso income from the coco levy funds will be invested to treasury bills, with funds and interests to benefit the coconut farmers nationwide.
These will cover their needs in terms of health coverage, education of their children, livelihood and empowerment of the peasant community for their individual welfare.
She also divulged that another 10 billion in pesos will be provided to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PhilCoa) to expedite the completion of farm-to-market roads as a supplementary infrastructure add-on to coconut producing provinces all across the archipelago.
Meanwhile, the kind senator emphasized the need to revisit and overhaul existing mechanisms on planting, replanting, fertilization, intercropping, and re-configuration of coco hub to mass produce the yields and harvests cost-effectively.
Sen. Villar also asserted that her advocacy centered on poverty reduction by way of helping farmers and fisherfolks on how to generate profitable and competitive home-grown products.
She said that with the 8 million farmers, 3 ½ million engage themselves in coconut farming, while roughly 3 ½ million are rice producers. Hence, they comprised of the 90% totality of all the farmers in the country.
Meanwhile, she also deplored the low price of coconut in the market and urged everyone not to concentrate on one product alone.
Comparing the indolent growers to Juan tamad, Sen. Villar lamented that those sluggish ones just sit under the coconut tree, waiting for the fruit to fall straight to their mouth.
With coconut production as a sideline, she encouraged cultivators to experiment on intercropping cacao as a high valued crop with greater demands, something like 100,000 metric tons in a year.
But unfortunately, she said, ‘we only produce 10 000 tons, merely relying on gross importation.’
“Let us establish cacao schools to teach farmers how to plant, these crops, not just for the sake of multi nationals so we can achieve variety and expand the market. Let us squarely address the concerns of rice mechanization and liberalized importation,” explained the plain-spoken senator of the republic.
She also underscored the essence of protecting our local farmers and replicating the best practices in Vietnam which produce rice at six pesos per kilo in contrast with the Philippines which is pegged at 12 pesos per kilo.
“We must set up rice schools to teach our farmers new ways on producing rice at affordable cost and globally-competitive facet. Siargao is a paramount tourist destination and TESDA will shoulder the tuition of those who are interested to explore and study. That is why I egg on you to preserve your family farms because we cannot live without farms,” said Sen. Villar.
She said that ‘the small family farms, which produce 70% of all our food, are the ones feeding the nation, not the corporate farm.’
Sen. Villar also predicted that in 2050, there will be food shortage if the countrymen do not take care of the small family farms and it will only mean one thing – HUNGER.
“Make sure small family farm will survive. Train your children to farm and give them the land, don’t sell your property to foreign capitalists,” she said.
by: John Glenn Platil
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food over-all Chair Cynthia Villar assured everyone that on July 23, the Coconut Industry Development Law will be passed by the bicameral Congress.
Then Gov. Francisco Matugas said that for the first time in history, an incumbent Senator administered the oath of barangay officials in Siargao last June 22. He also narrated his strong linkage and unvarying association with former House Speaker Manny Villar who worked for the concreting of roads in their Manila dwelling in order to thwart inundation.
According to Sen. Villar, pursuant to the proposed measure, the 100 billion peso income from the coco levy funds will be invested to treasury bills, with funds and interests to benefit the coconut farmers nationwide.
These will cover their needs in terms of health coverage, education of their children, livelihood and empowerment of the peasant community for their individual welfare.
She also divulged that another 10 billion in pesos will be provided to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PhilCoa) to expedite the completion of farm-to-market roads as a supplementary infrastructure add-on to coconut producing provinces all across the archipelago.
Meanwhile, the kind senator emphasized the need to revisit and overhaul existing mechanisms on planting, replanting, fertilization, intercropping, and re-configuration of coco hub to mass produce the yields and harvests cost-effectively.
Sen. Villar also asserted that her advocacy centered on poverty reduction by way of helping farmers and fisherfolks on how to generate profitable and competitive home-grown products.
She said that with the 8 million farmers, 3 ½ million engage themselves in coconut farming, while roughly 3 ½ million are rice producers. Hence, they comprised of the 90% totality of all the farmers in the country.
Meanwhile, she also deplored the low price of coconut in the market and urged everyone not to concentrate on one product alone.
Comparing the indolent growers to Juan tamad, Sen. Villar lamented that those sluggish ones just sit under the coconut tree, waiting for the fruit to fall straight to their mouth.
With coconut production as a sideline, she encouraged cultivators to experiment on intercropping cacao as a high valued crop with greater demands, something like 100,000 metric tons in a year.
But unfortunately, she said, ‘we only produce 10 000 tons, merely relying on gross importation.’
“Let us establish cacao schools to teach farmers how to plant, these crops, not just for the sake of multi nationals so we can achieve variety and expand the market. Let us squarely address the concerns of rice mechanization and liberalized importation,” explained the plain-spoken senator of the republic.
She also underscored the essence of protecting our local farmers and replicating the best practices in Vietnam which produce rice at six pesos per kilo in contrast with the Philippines which is pegged at 12 pesos per kilo.
“We must set up rice schools to teach our farmers new ways on producing rice at affordable cost and globally-competitive facet. Siargao is a paramount tourist destination and TESDA will shoulder the tuition of those who are interested to explore and study. That is why I egg on you to preserve your family farms because we cannot live without farms,” said Sen. Villar.
She said that ‘the small family farms, which produce 70% of all our food, are the ones feeding the nation, not the corporate farm.’
Sen. Villar also predicted that in 2050, there will be food shortage if the countrymen do not take care of the small family farms and it will only mean one thing – HUNGER.
“Make sure small family farm will survive. Train your children to farm and give them the land, don’t sell your property to foreign capitalists,” she said.
by: John Glenn Platil
