SIBALOM, ANTIQUE – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte yesterday showed his deep understanding of agriculture when upon seeing the cracked rice fields of Sibalom, Antique he said that irrigation services must be provided to Filipino farmers for free.
Passing by the dried up rice fields of Sibalom during a quick visit to Antique Province yesterday said that the failure of Philippine agriculture, especially rice production, to provide water services to farmers.
“Where in the world could you find a situation where it is the rice farmers who are subsidising the salaries and operational funds of a government agency in charge of irrigation,?” he asked.
Duterte said this deplorable situation is happening in the Philippines where a portion of the irrigation fees collected from rice farmers is being used to pay the salaries and the operation of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
The NIA, a government owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), is in charge of the construction and maintenance of all irrigation facilities in the Philippines.
As a GOCC, however, it is expected to generate its own funds for the salaries of its workers and its operations and the only source of money is the fee paid by the farmer for the water which is used in irrigating his rice farm.
Rice farmers who belong to irrigators’ associations who could not pay the irrigation fees are deprived of water services, a system which penalises not only those who have not paid but also those who have paid but whose farms are in the same division as the delinquent farmers.
“How can we expect our rice farmers to produce more with this system?,” Duterte asked.
Yesterday, after seeing the same pathetic rural scene of cracked rice fields and farms with grasses turned brown because of lack of water, Duterte said Philippine agriculture needs a dramatic overhaul.
What was very ironic with the lack of water in Sibalom rice fields is the fact that the farms are located very near the Sibalom River, one of the biggest rivers in Antique whose waters flow out to the West Philippine Sea.
“We should learn to manage our water resources just like what Israel and the US are doing so that our farmers will have sufficient supply of water all-year round,” he said.
Duterte, who is being asked by many sectors in the country to consider the Presidency, said that if it is his destiny to become President, he would undertake a major overhaul of Philippine agriculture.
“Water must be provided free to Filipino farmers because that is the only way we could produce more food for the Filipinos,” Duterte said.
Of the four names being mentioned as probably presidential materials – Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay, Sen. Grace Poe, Sec. Mar Roxas and Duterte – it is only the Duterte who has a deep understanding of agriculture being the Mayor of a city which is one of the biggest producers of food commodities in the country. (Manny Pinol)
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