Rep. Plaza promotes advocacy for children, agriculture
Congressman Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza of the Lone District of Agusan del Sur dropped by the Bethel Temple Church last Saturday accompanied by Atty. Dan Cartagena, head of the Noynoy Aquino for President Movement (NAPM)-Iloilo. On hand to welcome the booming voice and fighter in the lower house of Congress were Bishop Dr. Johnny Yasa, President of the Evangelical Ministers Federation of Iloilo City, Bishop Dr. Ed Fernandez, President of Metro Iloilo Pastors Association, and Pastor Bonifacio Cubing.
Plaza’s visit to the to the city is to promote his advocacy for children and reforming the youth at home and in the family. He said that children grew up in the family disturbed, verbally abused and harassed in an environment of fear and uncertainty. Parents usually abuse their children without realizing later the damage done to the kids whether physically and spiritually. The good congressman has a message for parents and guardians, “love your children positively and care for them in a close-knit family ties.” Plaza is going around the country to promote the rights of the children and people empowerment while the children are still young. He serves in Congress for nine years and has sponsored bills promoting child’s welfare and co-sponsored bills with fellow solons.
To remember the children which Dr. Jose Rizal said is the hope of the fatherland, Plaza filed a bill in Congress making Nov. 20 every year as Children’s Day although not a holiday. He advises parents to love their children and honor them on this significant day. “The future of our children is through good education and not through inheritance,” he stressed. Plaza reminded the parents and guardians to “give close attention to our children and give them unconditional love, take time in your busy schedule and play with them during your spare time.” “Children who grew up uneducated and unloved are future delinquent children and a problem to society,” Plaza enthused.
Plaza is also a successful farmer. He has many pending bills in Congress among which are returning the function of agriculture to the local government on a case to case basis; a bill creating the Orchard Development Authority and bills that redown to the effective agricultural production. A successful lanzones grower, Plaza also plants mangosteen, pomelo, longkong (a sweet lanzones variety from Thailand), coffee, durian, and coconut, the Thailand variety. He also visited Thailand farmlands and other agricultural farms in Asia. He also has a pending bill on consumers protection. He has been a farmer since his youth days as his beloved father is a successful farmer in Mindanao. Rep. Plaza is a graduate of the National Security Administration in Camp Crame. Through the invitation of Speaker Nograles to join the administration’s party, Plaza remains as an independent solon. He said that agriculture in the Philippines is a failure as it is not scientifically developed. Should he become senator someday, his first priority is to make agriculture in the Philippines like that of Thailand’s progressive farming. Filipino farmers are still riding on a carabao instead of a motorized farm vehicles like successful farmers in Thailand, Cambodia, China and Japan.
Rep. Plaza’s agricultural advocacy will really usher to new heights in farm development in the Philippines. Many feel that our congressman in the Philippines should not work hard to make the Philippines an agriculture king in Asia as the International Rice Research Center is found in Los Baños and had produced successful farmers and agriculturists in Asia and the Middle East.
