Complaining – Not Reading The Papers, Just Complaining About PH Agriculture!

Here comes Ernesto M Ordoñez, who I had believed was more broadminded than other columnists, proving that I was wrong – about him. In today's column, he demands: "Defend our rice farmers now!" that interjection supplied (30 August 2019, Inquirer.Net, business.inquirer.net). No defender of rice farmers, none yesterday, none today, none he can see. So he says:

It’s a crisis when majority of our 2.4 million rice farmers are suffering from the low 35-percent tariff under the rice tariffication law. ¶ At that tariff level, Philippine Rice Research Institute vice president Flordelis Bordey says that 53 (or 65 percent) of our rice producing provinces will not survive.

My, my, Mr Ordoñez! Be careful with information. It's Flordeliza, not Flordelis; and Deputy Executive Director of PhilRice, notVice President.

And Mr Ordoñez, are you trying to scare your readers quoting Miss Flordeliza saying that more than 50% of our rice provinces will not survive rice tariffication?!

So, I will listen more to Carmelito Q Francisco who says, "Dar Promises Easier LANDBANK Loan Access For Farmer Sector" (26 August 2019, BusinessWorld, bworldonline.com):

Agriculture Secretary William D Dar has assured farmers that simplified loan access will soon be provided by government-owned Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank), with the terms of the new lending arrangements now being finalized.

That's Davao City. You have not seen a PH Secretary of Agriculture as busy as a bee! He is all over the country. For publicity? No, urging the public sector, private sector, people to participate in the common mission of leveling up PH Agriculture.

If Mr Ordoñez has been reading the papers, especially on the digital platform, he would be writing the title of his column in words like these:

"We are defending our rice farmers now!"

If you will look at the collage of images above, I have a sharing from William Dar himself, Manong Willie, Secretary of Agriculture. In the text accompanying that Facebook image, Manong Willie says:

The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte led by Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc will now be engaged in buying palay this harvest season, dry, mill, and sell rice to the market. Calling on the other 27 top producing rice provinces to do the same!

Just browsing Facebook and you will note that Manong Willie is all over the place, exhorting farmers, local government units and business big & small to help the farmers up to marketing, so that, for instance, the merchants cannot apply their usual depredation techniques. If you do not call that defending the farmers, Mr Ordoñez, you are using a different dictionary!

Here comes another news, from Marilyn Galang, who says, "Agri Chief Enlists Farmers, LGUs, Private Sector In Rice Program" (29 August 2019, PNA, pna.gov.ph). He asked for involvement of farmers, local government units, and private sector in various DA programs. This is in the Science City of Muñoz. So, in the last few days, Manong Willie has been to Davao, Ilocos Norte and Nueva Ecija – No other Secretary of Agriculture in the Philippines has been this peripatetic & participatory!@517