The Department of Agriculture (DA) acknowledges the strong support of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and both Houses of Congress for allocating additional funds to supplement its current 2020 budget, aimed at enabling the country’s agriculture and fishery sector to survive, reboot and grow, amid and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We thank President Duterte and our honorable Senators and Representatives for favorably considering and funding our proposed projects under the ‘Plant, Plant, Plant program,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
The Senate recently approved Senate Bill 1564 or “Bayanihan to Recover as One Act,” dubbed as “Bayanihan 2,” earmarking P140 billion (B) for President Duterte’s initiatives to accelerate the recovery and bolster the resiliency of the country’s economy. It includes a P17-B allocation to fund proposed DA interventions.
For its part, the House of Representatives (HOR) adopted House Resolution No. 925, fully supporting the DA’s proposed P66-B package to supplement its budget to ensure food security and contribute to faster economic recovery.
“The strong support of our Chief Executive and honorable legislators is a testament and realization that agriculture is one of the major interventions of this administration to ensure that there is enough affordable, safe and nutritious food for our countrymen, and enable us to survive and surmount the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the DA chief said.
In fact, no less than President Duterte in his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) said: “The growth of our economy depends on a robust agricultural sector.”
He also cited that the P66-billion stimulus proposed by the DA to both Houses of Congress aims to provide adequate, accessible and affordable food for every Filipino through the Plant, Plant, Plant Program.
For his part, secretary Dar said: “Whatever would be the resulting amount after the Senate and HOR have reconciled their respective versions, we thank both the august bodies for their support. And whatever the balance, we will include it in our proposed 2021 budget.”
“In all, we assure our countrymen — particularly farmers, fishers and agri-fishery industry stakeholders — that the funds under our proposed stimulus program and our regular annual budget will be judiciously and efficiently used to achieve our desired goals of food security and resiliency, and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk,” the DA chief concluded. ### (Myriam Layaoen, DA StratComms)
