The agri agency, private sector and ‘Yolanda’

“Yolanda” has done its worst. But in doing so, it has inspired the private sector to do its best. We show here how this joint spirit of the private sector and the Department of Agriculture (DA) can be harnessed to significantly help victims of the supertyphoon.

The outpouring of generosity from the private sector has been inspiring. When I was in Bangkok last week, television stations there flashed a bank account number for those who wish to help Yolanda victims through donations. During a meeting, members of Asean Federation of Cement Manufacturers (AFCM) came out with a P200,000 donation, while Holcim Philippines’ Armand Joseph Morales gave the P19,350 he saved from his per diems.

Back home, political activism gave way to humanitarian action. Alyansa Agrikultura convenor Omi Royandoyan (0917-5286001) teamed up with other Samarenños like Europe-based Commission for Filipino Migrant Workers director Nonoi Hacbang to organize Tindog (arise) Samar. Donations for Western and Eastern Samar victims may be coursed through Fr. Cesar Aculan of the Social Action Center (Diocese of Borongan, UCPB account number 1030-6001-2560).

Even before Yolanda, Western and Eastern Samar have been victims of inequitable government attention. From 2006 to 2012, the percentage of poor families in the Philippines decreased from 23 percent to 22 percent. But in Western Samar, the percentage of poor households increased from 30 percent to 36 percent. It was worse in Eastern Samar, where the number rose from 39 percent to 59 percent.

Valuable ideas

In the last 6 years, the poverty level in Eastern Samar rose by 50 percent and was almost three times the poverty level of the entire nation. After the onslaught of Yolanda, the suffering increased to unacceptable levels.

While some in the private sector give goods, others lend their talent. Last Nov. 25, National Scientist Ricardo Lantican submitted a document to Alyansa Agrikultura with valuable ideas that should be incorporated in the Marshall Plan for Leyte and Samar. Last week, he recommended that fallen trees and coconut trunks should be the main source of lumber for homes and buildings. He also proposed that heavy tractors must be used on affected farmlands, including coconut farms and hard-to-till land, so that maize and other short-term crops could be planted immediately.

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture has sprung into action. Realizing that DA funds needed for Yolanda are still being siphoned off into bogus NGOs, a DA employee took courage and reported fake Saros for farm-to-market roads costing P1 million to P15 million each.

Next step

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala himself said that the mayors had reported to him instances when DBM officials asked for money in exchange for expediting Saro releases.

Identifying these mayors and DBM officials by name is a necessary next step. Under Alcala, these corrupt practices in the DA have been reduced. Nevertheless, they can be minimized further through transparent investigations with private sector participation to avoid whitewashes.

Last Nov. 25, the DA released a draft rehabilitation plan to restore storm-ravaged areas covering 202,410 households, or 865,305 individuals. The proposed P7.2 billion budget covers items such as farm clearing, seed and farm tool distribution, and the provision of fishing boats and gear.

The DA has done a commendable job with its P72-billion plan. But to effectively address Yolanda, public-private partnership (PPP) is necessary. The legally mandated public-private National Agriculture and Fisheries Council (NAFC) must now be harnessed.

It is disappointing that the call for the NAFC Budget committee to look into the DA PDAF scams has not been responded to. Continuing this travesty after the Yolanda disaster would be unconscionable. Apart from reducing corruption, this action should be taken because private sector input is needed to further improve the DA’s rehabilitation plan.

The NAFC as a whole, not just the Budget committee, should convene so that the collective wisdom of its public and private sector members can be used to address the Yolanda crisis. This should extend to the public-private Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Councils, which can modify the nationally formulated plan to suit their unique needs.

The joint work of the private sector and the DA will not only optimally address the Yolanda crisis, it will also provide a model for synergistic unity badly needed in Philippine agriculture.

(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 [email protected] or telefax  8522112.)