JONG CADION
Chief of reporters
If the people seek the media for help and not in the authorities, something is wrong with the government, these were the words of Councilman Romeo “Romy” Tan.
Tan, who chairs the committee on good governance, guested in the opening salvo of the Breakfast Forum initiated by the city chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) at Guiller Café, Hotel Guillermo, July 12.
The newly activated NUJP-Pagadian City Chapter, which is composed of media practitioners pledging membership with the Zamboanga Peninsula-Pagadian City Press Club Inc. (ZPPI), holds its breakfast meeting every Saturday.
This paper’s columnist and retired DILG officer Vic del Pilar is the forum’s program director.
“I salute the media in Pagadian City for your strong unity in creating a venue and opportunity to all government officials or any individuals bring information to the people through this breakfast forum,” was Tan’s praises for journalists.
“Your sector as the fourth estate is a vital role in the society because you are supported by the fundamental law of the land—our Constitution,” the councilor added.
One of the issues discussed by Tan is the escalating prices of fuel products and basic commodities.
He said the local government needs to have a priority program on the agriculture by giving more budgets for food production. “I am planning to sit down with Mayor Samuel Co regarding this matter.”
Recently, the City Council has passed a resolution requesting President Gloria Arroyo, urging her to increase the buying prices of palay and corn for farmers to be motivated in planting more of the staple crop.
This is better that subsidizing through the importation of rice from other countries, the council notes.
“The government’s agriculture program should focus on farmers because subsidized fertilizers and seedlings distribution are all useless if the buying price of palay and corn will not compensate farmer’s production cost,” Tan said it right.
“The government, through the DA and the LGUs needs more planning and should study this recommendation of supporting farmers in the countryside and not the farmers of other countries. We posses the technology of producing quality rice and corn, we should help and support our farmers,” the councilor suggested.
The National Food Authority (NFA) buys palay from P15-P16.50 a kilo while private businessmen buy the same between P18-P20. For corn, commercial price is P10-P12 a kilo.
Records from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistic predicted a decline of corn in the second quarter of this year due to high fertilizer price.
So frantic were farmers that some of them told MINDANAO MONITOR they will divert and start planting other crops instead of rice and corn if the same situation persists.