People have asked me why at my age and even with the lofty positions I have occupied would I still work and strive to earn a Doctoral Degree.
In jest, I told them that one of my wishes is that when I shall pass from this world, my tombstone would be etched with the inscription: Emmanuel F. Piñol, PhD RIP.
That of course is a joke.
Today, I will let you in on a secret which I have kept in my heart for over sixty years now.
I was born in M’lang, that’s not very far from where we are today, to a farming family. My grandfather, Jose was a poor farmer and my father, although he was a teacher, never left the farm and taught us young boys to love farming.
Life in the farm was hard and one of the biggest problems faced by the farmer back then was where to borrow money so he could buy seeds and farm inputs.
More often than not, it was the local trader who offered credit at a very high interest rate with the understanding that the produce would be sold to the trader at a price he dictated.
This was how it was for ages and the poor farmer was ensnared in a vicious cycle of indebtedness from which there was no escape.
This was what I saw as a young farm boy and this was what I carried in my heart when President Rody Duterte appointed me Secretary of Agriculture.
Right away, upon assumption as Secretary, I opened the floodgates of my heart which kept the desires and aspirations of the farmer in me and those before me.
Giving access to our farmers and fisherfolk to government credit did not come easy. I had to argue and even fight for it because of the mindset of many non-believers that lending to them is a high risk proposition.
They said farmers will not pay back loans from government.
With the backing of President Duterte, I pursued the advocacy and on June 23, 2017, we launched the Production Loan Easy Access or PLEA in Malimono, Surigao del Norte.
Today, two years later, the easy access credit program which I fought for has vindicated me and I thank President Duterte and former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno for supporting the advocacy.
With an initial loan fund of P1.6-B, repayment rate is at 91% while in some areas not affected by calamities it is 100%.
For the year 2019, President Duterte approved the allocation of P3.4-B.
The program, however, has to be institutionalised knowing how even the most effective programs of government could fall victim to changes in political leadership.
With a new President, a new Governor and new mayors come new programs and new directions.
This is why I decided to make it the subject of my dissertation hoping that by doing so the documented success story of the Easy Access Credit Program would guide our policy makers in the future.
With the success story of the program, they will understand that when farmers and fisherfolk have access to credit, life in the rural areas will improve, there will be more production, there will be less insurgency, there will be lower poverty and there will be inclusive economic growth.
Then, this country will have peace and prosperity, maybe not in our lifetime but in the generations to come.
For after all, the dream that brought me here was not just mine but those who came and suffered before me.
This is the real story behind why I am here today.
This is not only about wishing to have the PhD title inscribed in my tombstone when I die or the ego-boosting joy of being called “Doctor.”
I am here today because I nurtured a dream and chased it relentlessly.
That dream is not my alone. It was my grandfather’s, my father’s and your grandfather’s and father’s as well.
To all of them, I offer this title with pride and joy that at long last the yearnings of their heart are now being realized.
Thank you.
(MESSAGE OF AGRICULTURE SECRETARY MANNY PINOL DURING THE CONFERMENT OF HIS DOCTORAL DEGREE ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MINDANAO, KABACAN, NORTH COTABATO, JUNE 8, 2019)
(Photos by Dr. Palasig Ampang, Dr. Josa Bernadette Piñol and Bernhart Emmanuel Piñol)
(Article taken from the Official Facebook Page of DA Secretary Manny Piñol)
