By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
It was a rare chance for me to meet PBBM while in faraway Antique last June 27, 2024.
Together with a companion, we landed in Iloilo, from Manila, at around 5 am and were to initially meet with DA R6 officials about a project. We were told instead to proceed immediately to Antique where PBBM was to be the guest of honor in an awarding program for farmers and fisherfolks.
We were fetched, then off we sped to Antique with a take out breakfast. Our driver stepped on the gas pedal like we were being chased by more than ten demons. Half-way thru the three-hour drive, three vans with government plates and led by three motorcycle escorts, whizzed by like a swift train. Few minutes later, another 2 government-plated SUVs overtook us. Our driver, perhaps a little embarrassed by that, quickly caught up, our car coughing up speed of more than 100km/hr at some points on a road that is not an expressway.
Thinking that we might miss the event, I actually egged him on to drive like crazy. We felt that the over-speeding vehicles were headed to the awarding program, so we became like part of the convoy. As we passed thru at least two security checkpoints, the vehicles in front were provided with passes but we did not get the same. I asked the driver to roll down the car windows so the security will see us immediately as they approached us from both sides.
No problem. We were just told that somewhere before we get near to the venue we will be told to take a detour. However, we stayed very close to those given passes, and were never told by other security men ( army, PSG and policemen) to take a detour. We got to the place without a hassle.
Maybe, just maybe, the security people really thought that we were part of the convoy because I was wearing a shirt bearing an obvious Philippine flag which was also clearly seen on the clothes worn by government officials and the security people themselves. See the lesson?
We were able to freely chat with swarms of security all around without any apprehensions. We were allowed to get inside the well-secured premises of the program venue (the Binirayan Sports complex) with nary a question.
But as a matter of fact, our group is a part of the few exhibitors allowed around the venue.
The program was about the awarding of machines such as tractors, production inputs, carabaos, fishing boats and related materials, etc that are vital to farm and fish production.
The program started more than an hour before PBBM arrived. DA Sec Francisco Tiu Laurel, DILG Sec Ben Hur Abalos, DSWD Sec S. Gatchialian, Sen Loren Legarda, Congressman Legarda of Antique, Gov. Tadiao of Antique) and other regional and LGU officials were on hand for the program.
More than 61,000 qualified recipients such as individual fishermen and farmers, and cooperatives from all the four Panay provinces were awarded more than PhP500 million worth of ayuda. It was the biggest of its kind yet in the entire country.
When President BBM arrived, he chatted with Sec Laurel and other DA and BFAR officials then briefly passed by the exhibits. I took the opportunity to talk to the President. I told him about how our group was able to sell rice for PhP 25.00/kg at the DA Main premises for 6 consecutive months last year, using our product. He was impressed. The President was very attentive to my short “presentation”. He asked some questions which I answered satisfactorily, I guess. Even Sec Laurel and DA Region 6 Regional director, Dennis Arpia attested to my answers.
Yes, we sold rice at PhP25.00/kg with a handsome profit to boot. Why? With our product, Unigrow, the cost of production was brought down from an average of PhP12.00/kg to PhP7.00/kg. And there were no middlemen. The produce was brought from Nueva Ecija to Manila.
We have always believed that the president’s statement during the campaign period that he dreams of bringing down the price of rice from the more than PhP40.00/kg (the prevailing price then) to PhP20-30/kg was possible with prudent and willful considerations of what input to use and reduction of the number of middlemen involved up to the point of sale. And we did it.
By the way, no other else dared to talk to the President as he was gliding along.**
