Saturday, March 8, 2008

Philippine Agriculture Has Lost Its Focus?

Farmers and stakeholders in the agriculture sector should always be focused on their responsibilities to feed the country.

Bohol Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera said he does not see any reason why the crisis spawned by the revelations of whistle-blower Rodolfo Noel Lozada will have any negative effect on the agriculture sector.

"Farmers should remember at all times that they have a responsibility to feed the nation," he declared.

The vice-governor chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) committee on agriculture.

Herrera said he is saddened whenever he learns about farmers abandoning their farms for whatever reason.

He clarified that he is not against farmers expressing their outrage over irregularities in the government.

"That is their right to protest and denounce anomalies just like any other citizen," the vice governor noted.

Herrera said what is lamentable is when they abandon their farms and focus on demonstrations and rallies.

"Who will raise the food that will feed our people if they spend all their time in the demonstrations?" he asked.

The vice-governor said that like other sectors in society, farmers should realize that they have a duty to perform.

National Broadband Network An Unfair Deal?

Even a routinary visit by a senator to fulfill an election promise was laced with insinuations.

That proved how contagious the issue about the supposed scam that generated out of the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal and escalating into a full blown battle cry for Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to step down from office.

The reaction from some polluted quarters about the visit yesterday of Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri was swift and spontaneous. He is the secretary-general of the President's party Lakas-CMD.

Just before he finished his business of fulfilling a promise he made during the last election, text messages were already swirling around purportedly indicating that the administration senator was here to buy support from municipal mayors in exchange for siding with the embattled President.

Nothing was further than the truth as the Zubiri visit indicated.

According to the text message, Zuriri was giving mayors P1 million each to buy their loyalty to prop up GMA's sinking popularity.

The Post lost no time in verifying the report.

Through their Bohol contact, the couple former mayor Jose "Boy" Jumamoy and Board Member Socorro Josephine Jumamoy, the Post was able to arrange an airport interview.

Asked about his reaction of the circulated text messages, the senator from Bukidnon dismissed the insinuation as pure fabrication.

He said matter-of-factly that he came to Bohol to fulfill an election promise.