PBBM: Ka Mon, following your advocacy of setting up integrated farming systems to produce more and have the economies of scale, I have just inaugurated a rice mill complex in South Cotobato with 1,400 hectares. Like I said this will be complete with dryers so the farmers no longer need to dry in the highways.
KA MON: Congratulations Mr. PRESIDENT. I understand that the government spent P650M and will be turned over to the provincial government.
PBBM: And I am very happy about it.
KA MON: Sir, On the contrarythis will be another sad day for the farmers of Cotobato. It will be just repeating history for them. Let me share with you a part of a letter sent by Ka Sonny to a friend looking for funds to help Philippine farmers. Here goes. Ka Willie, in the early years of former Pres. Marcos Sr., his administration supported a similar project in Tacurong, Cotobato funded by World Bank because it was owned by a private Filipino to counter the Chinese rice cartel then. The Presidential Economic Staff assisted it but it immediately became a White Elephant. The farmers did not patronize it, and it was expensive to operate it because of a very expensive electric rate. I should know, as I was then an apprentice in the Presidential Economic Staff and its "coffee boy" after graduating from UP Los Baños with a two year fellowship grant by the Ford Foundation on Rural Development and Supervise Credit"
PBBM: But this time I am giving it to the Provincial Government to be a common service facility as advised to me.
KA MON: That was a historical failure and was not repeated. but now you are repeating it.
PBBM: This is now a support service to the newly emancipated farmers.
KA MON: Well and good, Mr. PRESIDENT. But you failed to reckon that the leadership of the Provincial Government changes every three years. Most often the new leaders come up with their own program and most often do not want to continue the agricultural programs of the previous administration, thus making it again a White Elephant.
PBBM: Hay, naku... Kailan pa matatapos itong problemang ito?
KA MON: Sir, walang katapusan yan, if you use the same recycled strategy of your agricultural planners who does not even "walk the field" like Ka Sonny use to say.
PBBM: And he also use to say there is a solution but ends up saying "read my lips". Tuloy, naisip ko that what I am getting from.my planners and advisers are "lipstick strategies in rural development".
KA MON: Precisely Mr. PRESIDENT. Recently, using the same strategy of helping farmers the DA gave away post harvest.facilities which again became White elephants because the coops did not have an operating fund to buy from farmers members (but now they are getting it). The problem is again the officers diverted the funds to buying inputs and equipment where they could make quick money, instead of trading to give their members a better price. Then, the South Korean government donated RPC (Rice Processing Centers) which are most often under utilize.
PBBM: Why so? I understand from my advisers that this could be the key to correct the failures of many coops given post harvest facilities.
KA MON: Not so, Mr. PRESIDENT. Those taken over by the Provincial Governments are still moribund. Remember, Mr. PRESIDENT, like I said, provincial governments turn over executives every three years if not the Governors themselves. This will just turnout to be a White Elephant or a milking cow of the succeeding provincial executives.
PBBM: What then can be done about these "lipstick strategies" given to me ?
KA MON: Simple, Mr. PRESIDENT. I know of a farmers group that is now trying to provide a homegrown strategy to modernizing our farmers. They develop a Social Engineering System that the farmers can not refuse to ensure the supply of palay to what you are now building as an infrastructure in modernizing Philippine agriculture. In addition to assuring the supply of palay for your post harvest facilities they also provide appropriate rural technologies to generate cheap electricity for the mechanical dryers and rice mill to run 24/. This way they also process the mountain-size rice husk waste and be climate resilient. They are just waiting for funds to come their way which the government has failed to do in the last 50 years or so. They also provide a solution to stem poverty and insurgency. They are in the mountains. Just join me one day with just your body guards. This time I will not tell you to read my lips but to ride with me to the Sierra Madre mountains. We will keep you safe. Join us in our rendezvous in the morning and you can go back to Malacañang in the afternoon. Please do not bring your advisers. Just you as Secretary of Agriculture.
#ChimericConversations
#TheMakingOfAWhiteElephant
#IntegratedFarmingSystem
#Agriculture
#OpinYon