Arroyo eyes Deputy Ombudsman for Agriculture
Remonde
Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Secretary Cerge Remonde said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has initiated moves to install a Deputy Ombudsman for Agriculture to keep an eye on the billions of pesos being allocated for the success of country's agriculture programs.
Remonde, who was in Iloilo City Friday, said the government is set to release a huge budget for its agriculture program dubbed as FIELDS. It is an acronym for fertilizer, irrigation and infrastructure, extension and education, loans and insurance dryers and other post harvest facilities and seeds and other genetic materials.
FIELDS was conceptualized after a series of consultations conducted by the government among the farmers and fisher folks in the country during the recent Food Summit.
Remonde refused to name the possible candidates for the position of Deputy Ombudsman for Agriculture. He said President Arroyo will soon make a public statement on who will assume as the Deputy Ombudsman for Agriculture.
Remonde said the installation of a Deputy Ombudsman for Agriculture is not an offshoot of the issue linking former Agriculture Secretary Joc Joc Bolante to a fertilizer fund scam recently.
Recently, the government allocated P500 million for the fertilizer fund for farmers. The agriculture department will encourage the use of proven technologies such as Bio-N to increase its palay harvest during the rainy season and for the third cropping.
The government has also allocated P6 billion for the irrigation and another P6 billion for the infrastructure to include farm to market roads, roll-on roll-off ferry pots and no-frills airports for agricultural cargo.
For the extension and education, the government has allocated P2 billion for research and development, P1 billion for capability building, P1 billion for trainors and technicians and another P1 billion for agriculture and fisheries education system.
The government financial institutions has allocated P15 billion for farmer's loans and insurance. There is also an additional P5 billion from Land Bank of the Philippines for such purpose. The government will also review and make actions regarding the high interest rates posted by Quedancor among the farmer borrowers, said Remonde.
For the dryers and other post harvest facilities, the government has allocated P2 billion from its budget and off-budget sources. A P2 billion is likewise allocated for the hybrid seeds and P6 billion for certified seeds.
Meanwhile, Remonde said the government is implementing measures to address the food security issue affecting the country. The Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program (AHMP) aims to give enough food for the poor.