President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was urged again to appoint a full time secretary to the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the wake of his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 4.
Marcos named himself temporary DA secretary at the start of his administration last year. The calls for him to give up the post were made by supporters who said the president should be freed from the nitty-gritty of department-level affairs, and critics who said he performed poorly.
The agency was hit by controversies early on when the sugar and onion importation mess erupted.
There was no indication in his SONA that he will give up the post soon. “Our aim is to boost our local agricultural production — through consolidation, modernization, mechanization, and improvement of value chains — augmented by timely and calibrated importation, as needed,” he said.
Herminio Agsaluna, president of the farmers’ group Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (Pakisama), said farmers and fisherfolks need a DA secretary who understands farming and fishing.
“Nakikita naman natin na lagpas na ng isang taon, nakikita naman natin na hindi niya kaya na sabay-sabay ‘yung trabaho (It’s been more than a year since he assumed the post. We can see that he cannot perform ca tasks),” Agsaluna told the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).
It’s a critical sector. Agricultural growth is more effective in removing poverty than any other industrial growth. But fisherfolks, farmers, children, and individuals residing in rural areas have remained the country’s poorest.
The statistics attest to Marcos’ poor performance during his first year in office, said economist Solita Monsod.
“The agriculture department has actually the worst performance. I’m only looking at data. I’m just telling you what the Philippines Statistics Authority says. [There are] 90 targets or indicators of performance, 28 of which were met, and 59 were not met,” Monsod told PCIJ.
She cited the targets set by the Marcos administration under the Philippine Development Plan (2023-2028). The only subsector of agriculture that that hit the target and overperformed was in poultry. They wanted it to grow 3-4% and it was growing by 6.7%, Monsod said.
“It’s not that I’m against the president. Did he do well? If he did well, keep him. If he did not do well, don’t keep him. What is the criteria? What are the indicators that he intended to accomplish? He did not accomplish it, get him out,” she said.
Inflation, Kadiwa, and rising prices of agri inputs
Inflation was the “biggest problem” that the government faced in his first year in office, Marcos said, compounded by the pandemic and the effects of the Ukraine war on global supplies. When oil-exporting countries cut production and sent prices soaring, everything followed.
Marcos said the government has put policies in place to get the inflation rate moving in the right direction. “Inspite of all the difficulties, we are transforming the economy. We are stabilizing the prices of all critical commodities,” he said.
He said the prices of rice, meat, fish, vegetables, and sugar went down in his first year in office. This has been declared as misleading by fact-checkers.
Marcos showcased the Kadiwa stores, a Marcos era project revived by the previous Duterte administration, where the government cuts out the middlemen between the consuming public and farmers and fisherfolks. The outlets buy agricultural products from community and cooperative farmers and fisherfolk and sell them to the public.
Prices are low at Kadiwa outlets because they are also subsidized by the government.
In the market, commodity prices continued to soar. “Parang nananaginip siya na mangyaring napababa niya (I think he is dreaming that he actually sent prices of commodities down),” said Agsaluna.
Based on Marcos’ own statistics, Kadiwa stores benefitted 1.8 million families. It’s about one-third of the country’s 5.6 million poor families.
“First, you don’t know what those benefits are. And second you don’t know if there’s double counting in this. Because a family may have bought in a Kadiwa twice or three times,” said Monsod.
And while inflation slowed down to 5.4% in June, the food inflation numbers present a mixed picture. “Inflation for June went down, but there are things that went up. And the things that went up are cereal, rice, vegetables, and fish. That’s what the poor eat,” said Monsod.
Agsaluna said it will benefit more Filipinos if Marcos could establish more Kadiwa stores in the countryside. Monsod said it is a “good idea” but the cost of getting a Kadiwa store is not known. “Unless you have the cost and you can compare costs versus benefits, you will never be able to say whether the good idea is actually a practical one,” she said.
To bring prices down in the market, Agsaluna said Marcos should address the soaring prices of agricultural inputs. “Dapat unahin niya ang mga inputs para bumaba yung presyo ng palay at bigas,” he said. He said a sack of urea now costs P2,400 compared to P1,800 before Marcos became president. Many farmers could no longer afford to farm.
“Dati gumagastos kami sa isang ektarya ng P29,000 or P32,000 per cropping. Umaabot na ngayon ng P48,000 to P50,000,” he said.
Marcos said the government distributed fertilizers and millions of high-quality rice, maize, vegetable, and coconut seedlings. Over 28,000 pieces of cutting-edge apparatus and equipment were donated and discount coupons for these items were distributed.
But like the Kadiwa stores, Agsaluna said these programs had a limited reach.
He said lowering the prices of agricultural inputs is the best way to achieve Marcos’ targets. It will increase production, reduce the country’s food deficiency, and protect food security.
Laws to fight hoarders, strengthen cooperatives
Marcos Jr. vowed to fight corruption in his second year in office. He warned smugglers and hoarders of agricultural products that their “days are numbered.’’ They have been blamed for the unreasonable increases in the prices of products, particularly onion and sugar.
Marcos urged Congress to support the amendment of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act as part of his reformation strategy to the country.
Action for Economic Reform researcher AJ Montesa said it was a good start to curb corruption “outside” government transactions. But he said the Marcos administration should follow through on its enforcement once amended, and improve strategies in tracking down groups dealing in illegal trade. (Read: Marcos as an anti-corruption crusader? Watchdog groups weigh in)
Monsod was not impressed, however. “It was obvious that there was rampant corruption in the sugar decision and rampant corruption in the onion decision…. Did anybody suffer for that? I don’t think so. They just forgot,” she said.
A day after his SONA, the DA also announced the filing of charges against the owners of four warehouses in Luzon that stored smuggled sugar, onions and meat.
The government should run after the trader, said Monsod. “The trader is the one who sells, right? The average world price of sugar when I was computing was P74 and we were paying P90. The trading margin was so large,” she said.
Agsaluna said it underscored the need to appoint people at DA who will protect the interests of farmers and consumers over the interests of the traders. “Kung ang mag-lead pa rin diyan may damdamin sa traders, wala ‘yan mangyari sa DA.”
He said the DA has good policies in place. It’s the implementation that is lacking. “Sa amin na magsasaka, ipatupad lang ang programa ng DA. Hindi napapatupad ng maayos.”
Agsaluna also expressed apprehensions about Marcos’ proposals to amend the Cooperative and Fisheries codes of the country. Marcos said new laws are needed to strengthen cooperatives and “to incorporate and strengthen science-based analysis and determination of fishing areas.”
“May batas na tayo, kailangan lang ma-implement lang ng mabuti,” Agsaluna said. Marcos did not say how the codes will be amended, but Agsaluna said there are fears that the amendments could be disadvantageous to them.
Under Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, amended in 2013 by R.A. 10654, only artisanal fishermen are allowed to fish inside the country’s municipal waters or 15 kilometers from the coastline.
Illegal fishing has been rampant. Artisanal fishermen have protested the incursion of commercial fishing vessels into their fishing areas.
Marcos said his approach “will protect both the interests of our fisherfolk and our fisheries and aquatic resources.” Agsaluna also urged Marcos to uphold fishermen’s right to fish in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a major source of livelihood for fishermen in Luzon.
Another law that needs better implementation is the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, said Agsaluna. The decades-old law made the promise of redistributing private and public agricultural land to the farmers.
“Kung titignan mo ang malalawak na lupain, ang nagmamay-ari ay pulitiko. Hindi nila ma-implement 'yan,” Agsaluna said.
The challenges will only grow for the sector as surging temperatures and disruptive weather events caused by El Niño threaten the world.
Marcos emphasized the significance of improving irrigation and water management to bolster agricultural infrastructure. He said the government allocated P14.6 billion for water supply initiatives such as rainfall collection systems across the entire country in the event of drought.
Marcos said the government will conduct cloud seeding operations if necessary.
Farmers are already feeling the impact of El Niño. Instead of palay, Agsaluna said many are now planting vegetables and other crops that require less water. END
TOP PHOTO courtesy of the Presidential Communications Office