Power is a privilege. If abused, it can cause tremendous harm. But if used properly, it can be a great force for good.
Recently, there have been reports about how the Department of Agriculture (DA) abused its power, especially given the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) anomalies.
It should be noted that most of these anomalies occurred during the previous administration. Nevertheless, despite current DA efforts to curb corruption, many anomalies still remain.
The National Agriculture Fisheries Council (NAFC) is the legally mandated public-private sector body to help formulate and, more importantly, monitor the DA budget. Realizing this, the Alyansa Agricukultura, a coalition of 42 federations and organizations representing all agriculture sectors, applied to be a NAFC member in the previous administration. Because of Alyansa’s wide constituency, the DA had little choice but to accept Alyansa’s application.
However, the moment Alyansa joined, all NAFC Council meetings stopped. This lasted for more than two years, until the Aquino administration took over. The Alyansa then made a unanimously approved recommendation that a NAFC Budget Committee be created. The few remaining corrupt elements in the DA sabotaged this, because this committee did not meet for a year and three months.
When the committee finally met, Alyansa Agrikultura president Arsenio Tanchuling was elected as the committee’s private sector co-chair. When the PDAF scams were exposed, the Alyansa recommended in two NAFC meetings that a thorough investigation be made and the NAFC Budget Committee informed of this investigation.
In an Aug. 12 NAFC meeting, a DA senior official said that NAFC should not be involved in this because it was “just politics.” Disagreeing with this position, Tanchuling then wrote a formal letter asking for a DA NAFC Budget Committee meeting to address this issue. Until now, there has been no DA response.
There is still continuing abuse of power at the DA. This can be stopped if the DA allows the public-private sector NAFC Budget Committee to do its legally mandated function of monitoring DA budget use. Unless DA moves swiftly on this, and a Secretary-led DA overhaul takes place, the Alyansa believes that the DA should not be trusted with the planned P148 billion it will supervise in 2014: P78 billion from the DA budget and P70 billion from the coconut levy interest earnings.
On the positive side, DA must make good use of its tremendous power. Since information is power, it must get the best information possible from the private sector, who are the ones directly developing our agriculture.
Today, many of them feel they are not being heard. Ironically, instead of strengthening the NAFC, which is the legally mandated vehicle for private sector participation, it is being weakened. The NAFC plantilla is currently 178. There is a DBM decision to cut this by almost half to 101. The DBM should listen to the appeal not only of the DA, but also of the private sector, that this cut not be implemented.
Weakening NAFC appears contrary to P-Noy’s statement: “Ikaw ang boss ko”. Already, many private sector groups distressed with the lack of agriculture development are organizing. One such group is composed of UPLB-based scientists and development experts coordinated by Balik Scientist Ben Pecson. While this group joins many others in advocating that the coconut levy interest be used solely for the coconut farmers instead of national government programs, its unique comparative advantage is recommending the best science-based technologies to accelerate our agricultural development.
One other group is the UPLB Volunteers for Scale Insect Management, which is combating this infestation killing coconut trees in Batangas, Quezon, Laguna and Cavite. Its members include Rural Broadcasters of the Philippines president Louie Tabing and former UPLB Dean of Agriculture Candida Adalla.
Both these groups have no contact with NAFC. It is important that the NAFC secure their involvement for two reasons. Firstly, these groups will now have an official DA channel to respond to their recommendations. Secondly, the NAFC will be strengthened as an institution so that our reforms will take place through institutions, not just individuals. Under the previous administration, corruption and incompetence increased because our institutions were severely weakened.
The abuse of power should be stopped through transparency and private sector participation. Governance is too important to be left to government alone.
In addition, it should also be replaced by the good use of power. This can best be done through the legally mandated NAFC, which should be strengthened instead of weakened through DA and DBM action. Once concrete step is to activate the NAFC Budget Committee. Only then can we achieve the goal of inclusive growth.
(The author is chair of Agriwatch, former Secretary for Presidential Flagship Programs and Projects, and former Undersecretary for Agriculture, Trade and Industry. For inquiries and suggestions, e-mail agriwatch_phil@yahoo.com or telefax (02) 8522112).