By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
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Senator Imee Marcos visited La Trinidad and Baguio city last February 26, 2023. I tried to resist the idea that she was here to really see the grand float parade of the Panagbenga festival which hibernated for three years.
Maybe she misses it. If that was so, it was a boost for the festival as a senator of the republic finds it worthwhile to see it. A good promotion in fact which could be exploited for all its worth. Of course, she was actually invited as a guest speaker of the festival during the day of the parade where she congratulated the people and officials of Baguio led by Mayor Benjie Magalong for earnestly reviving its very important tourism industry.
During her speech, she also mentioned among others, the agriculture sector as one of those adversely affected by the COVID 19 lockdowns.
Before her Panagbenga speech, Sen. Marcos actually visited the Benguet State University where she met farmers and local officials including BSU Pres. Felipe Comila, Gov. Melchor Diclos, and Mayor Romeo Salda. She was accompanied by DA Asec Kristine Evangelista and DA-CAR Director Cameron Odsey. Some may call that visit just a stop-over but its really more than that.
The senator provided a glimpse of a shot-in-the-arm for agriculture during her short La Trinidad “sidetrip”. Well, when she was still a governor of Ilocos Norte, she was already very keen on helping those in the agricultural sector. Some of her programs then were predicated on improving the lives of farmers.
She commended 40 Young Farmers’ Challenge Awardees, and recognized Multipurpose Cooperatives from CAR who are beneficiaries of the Kadiwa program. The YFC is an initiative of her office, implemented by the Department of Agriculture. Seven (from Mt. Prov., 1, and 2 each from Abra, Benguet and Ifugao) of the awardees were regional winners receiving PhP150,000.00 earlier. She assured awardees of help in their agricultural production ventures.
YFC was envisioned to encourage and support young agri-preneurs to stay or return to agriculture and to engage them in food production, processing of agricultural products, and other farm-based enterprises. It also aims to provide the youth with opportunity to own, lease, develop and cultivate lands for agricultural purposes.
This is an unmistakable sign of a politician showing concrete passion of helping the agriculture sector grow, and trying to lure young people to venture into agriculture. Ultimately, it would assure the replacement of the fast aging farmer population by younger ones.
Senator Imee proceeded to the La Trinidad municipal hall after her short stay in BSU. She saw for herself the ongoing construction of the municipal extension building initially funded by the LGU with PhP42.0 million.
According to Mayor Salda, the building is estimated to cost PhP184.0 million which they presented to the senator. The senator sourced out fund from DPWH but Sec. Bonuan could only find PhP30.0M available which was then committed for the building. Per mayor Salda, the amount will be used mainly for framing of the 1st to the 4th floors of the building. Another PhP40.0M is budgeted by the LGU to further continue construction. Since the building displaced 17 stall occupants at the Trading Post, they assured of a space of the first floor of the extension building while the the upper floors will be occupied by different offices of the muniucipality.
Senator Imee is really bent on helping local agriculture that’s why she told mayor Salda, “If you need training on various concerns such as packaging of products, let me know so we can find ways to help you”.
It’s a challenge for us to be able to prevent wastage like the dumping of unsold tomatoes and carrots, as what happened earlier, especially from Ifugao, but let’s find a solution”, the senator further added.
In a chat with mayor Salda, he told of another assurance given by Sen Imee that if young farmers can produce enough volume of vegetables at a sustainable level, they could be provided with a truck for a rolling Kadiwa store. She also told mayor Salda to submit proposal from the municipal agriculture office worth 5M for funding consideration. The mayor is contemplating a proposal for the existing coffee processing plant in Longlong that actually lacks processing equipment. Or, a larger tissue culture laboratory that could be a joint venture with BSU. Also necessary greenhouses to multiply the tissue cultured plants.
Salda mentioned too the project funded by former DA Sec P. Alcala. It is an Agri-commercial Center budgeted at PhP30.0M earlier; PhP10.0M was released by the DA that’s why the building was started but unfinished. Although not yet complete and rainwater streams down inside the building, another 17 displaced stall occupants in the Trading Center are using some parts of the building. The LGU is still hopeful that the balance of PhP16.0M (more now because of inflation) will be provided, hopefully by the DA, for the completion of the building.
Similarly, the town is also waiting for additional PhP4.0 million to complete the 4-storey Municipal Health Station building.
Because of the concrete plans and actions of Senator Imee Marcos, she was being prevailed upon by some quarters to become the DA secretary replacing PBBM. Her response was a firm NO, thank you.**
