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MINDANAO solons spearheaded by Speaker Prospero Nograles on Friday
called for the early release of the island’s 30-percent share from
lump-sum funds in the P1.227 trillion national budget to jump start
its transformation as the country’s food basket.
Nograles said that while reports of a looming
food shortage is exaggerated, soaring prices of various food
products is getting out of control. He said that the only way to
stabilize the price of food products is to increase production by
maximizing Mindanao’s potential as an agricultural hub.
President Arroyo committed the budgetary
provision for Mindanao upon the recommendation of Mindanao
congressmen led by Nograles, then a Majority leader, during the
deliberation of the 2008 General Appropriations Act.
“We have no time to spare. We should really
start working to realize our vision of turning Mindanao into the
country’s center for food production,” he said.
Nograles said the national budget for 2008
includes a provision earmarking 30 percent of lump-sum funds for
Mindanao on top of the P121 billion specifically allocated for
Mindanao’s six regions.
Reps. Anton Lagdameo (2nd District, Davao del
Norte), Joboy Aquino (1st District, Agusan del Norte), Rodolfo Plaza
(Lone district, Agusan del Sur), Marc Douglas Cagas IV (1st
District, Davao del Sur), Arrel Olano (1st District, Davao del Norte)
and Munir Arbison (2nd District, Sulu) echoed Nograles’ call as
they pointed out that the additional funds can be used to unlock
Mindanao’s full potential as a food basket.
“In 2005, Gross Regional Domestic Product was
already about P900 billion, of which P280 billion came from
agriculture. The potential is there because only 290,000 hectares or
1/35th of the island’s 10.2 million hectares are serviced by
irrigation,” Lagdameo said.
Aquino on the other hand said that despite low
irrigation, Mindanao was able to produce a combined 6.6 million
metric tons of rice and corn in 2005.
“We are also producing nine million metric
tons of copra a year and our output of 1.8 million metric tons of
fish annually are more than enough for the needs of 22 million
Mindanaoans,” Aquino said.
He said Mindanao, which is outside the
typhoon-zone, has a climate conducive to agriculture and has an
annual rainfall that is more than the national average.
“Our roads and other infrastructure don’t
get destroyed by typhoons very often so physical investments made in
Mindanao last longer and are more durable,” Aquino pointed out.
He said Mindanao has an “army of 4.1
million” workers in agriculture “who are on standby and are more
than willing to do their share in attaining food security for the
whole country if given the right support and incentive by the
government.”
-- Sammy Martin
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