InangLupa

Official Newsletter of the InangLupa Movement Inc.

No. 5
May 2016 Issue

Nurturing an inclusive, science-based, resilient

& market-oriented Philippine agriculture

PNoy signs law

vs agri smugglers
President Aquino signed on May 23,
2016, Republic Act (RA) 10845 or An
Act defining large-scale agricultural
smuggling as economic sabotage, prescribing penalties therefor and for other purposes, or simply AntiAgricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
The law was enacted to promote the
productivity of the agricultural sector
and to protect farmers from unscrupulous traders and importers, who by
their illegal importation of agricultural
products especially rice, significantly
affect the production, availability of
supply and stability of prices, and the
(Pls turn to p6)

El Nio cuts agri

by 4.5% in Q1

Incoming President
Rodrigo Duterte

Incoming Finance Sec.

Carlos Dominguez

Incoming Agriculture Sec.

Manny Piol

InangLupa supports 8-pt agenda

of incoming Duterte admin

Inanglupa Movement fully supports

the 8-point economic agenda of the inThe prolonged dry spell, coupled with coming Duterte administration, particuthe damage caused by typhoons Lando larly on agriculture, land security and
and Nona, resulted in a 4.5 percent (%) rural development.
decrease in the countrys agricultural
We commend the incoming Duterte
output in the first three months of the administration for prioritizing agriculture
year, the Philippine Statistics Authority and major economic measures to mod(PSA) said.
ernize and industrialize the Philippine
The growth of the livestock and poultry countryside, said InangLupa president
industry was not able to offset the down- and former agriculture secretary Dr. Wil(Pls turn to p5)

liam D. Dar.
InangLupa will extend its strong support to incoming President Rodrigo
Duterte, along with its economic team
led by incoming finance secretary Carlos Domiguez, who served previously as
agriculture secretary during the Cory
Aquino administration, and incoming
agriculture secretary former North Cotabato governor Manny Piol, added
Dar.
If given the opportunity, we are willing present to incoming DA secretary
Piol, our InangLupa framework to
modernize and industrialize Philippine
agriculture, said Dar, who was appointed by then DA Secretary
Dominguez as the pioneering director
of the newly-organized Bureau of Agricultural Research in 1987.
(Pls turn to p6)

Phl GDP grows 6.9% in

Q1 2016, fastest in Asia

InangLupa Movement President Dr. William Dar enjoins participants of the

Philippine Cacao Summit and Exhibition to modernize and industrialize the
countrys cacao industry, and that small farmers must unite and collectivize (join
cooperatives) and partner with the private sector to manufacture chocolates,
preferably from Davao, where more than 80% of the cacao farms are located. He is
shown cutting the ceremonial ribbon with Dr. Yolanda Stern, President of One
World Institute, USA, at SM Seaside City, in Cebu, May 27. Joining them is Cyrus
Obsuna, chairman of Plantacion De Sikwate.

The Philippine domestic economy

expanded by 6.9 percent (%) during the
first quarter of the year, fastest among
11 selected Asian economies, outpacing China (6.7%), Vietnam (5.5%), Indonesia (4.9%) and Malaysia (4.2%), according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
"We are pleased to be turning over a
strong and stable economy onto the
next administration. We have achieved
significant socio-economic progress
over the last five years, with the return
of political and economic stability,
which we hope the incoming administration will build on," said socioeconomic planning secretary Emmanuel Esguerra.
The country's growth based on
gross domestic product (GDP) or the
total value of all goods and services
produced was higher than the last
(Pls turn to p5)

Focus on science, streamlined DA

needed to push agri productivity
What is needed is a laser By Johnny F. Goloyugo* Dryers and other posthar-like focus on science and
vest facilities provision;
innovationcoupled with adequate pub- Seed subsidy on quality genetic materials),
lic investment in science education and 2008-2010; and
research and developmentto make
Food Staples Sufficiency Program, 2010agricultural productivity sustainable, as 2016.
the Philippines faces insurmountable
They are all the same programs with
odds due to climate change and worsen- different labels, Ponce said.
ing resource scarcity, such as land, labor
The DA must change! exclaimed the
and water.
Economic Policy Research and Advocacy
There is also a need to streamline the (EPRA), a group of government experts
effectiveness of the convoluted De- organized during the Gloria Macapagalpartment of Agriculture (DA) bureaucra- Arroyo administration to rationalize the
cy to have an impact in the agricultural DA program. Dr. Cielito Habito, former
industry, decentralize agricultural pro- director general of the National Economic
grams, provide local governments with and Development Authority, headed the
viable options for development, move group, with Ponce as the leader of the DA
away from the top-to-bottom approach team.
and effectively educate the malleable
Our team provided experts advice to
staff within the agency.
then-Secretary Domingo Panganiban. UnTwo experts, Dr. Eliseo Ponce, former der his leadership, the DA Rationalization
director of the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Team, in close partnership with the DeResearch and now consultant of the DA- partment of Budget and Management and
Climate Change Office, and Dr. V. Bruce its key stakeholders, developed a rationaliTolentino, deputy director general for zation plan that would transform the DA
communication and partnerships of the as a modern organization, one that is able
International Rice Research Institute to function effectively to fulfill its mission
(IRRI), expressed these views on agricul- and mandate, Ponce said.
ture and climate change that affect food
The team proposed eight key principles
security and sustainability.
for reform that included, among others, a
simplified national agriculture bureaucraSame programs, different labels
cy, a well-streamlined and reorganized DA
A look at the wide range of the govern- structure to increase systems efficiency
ments food programs from 1972 to 2010 and eliminate graft and corruption
convey much promises in agricultural through increased transparency, predictaproductivity:
bility, accountability and public participaMasagana 99, 1972-1986;
tion.
Rice Productivity Enhancement ProTo improve the quality of governance,
gram, 1987-1987;
the group also called for agency specializaRice Action Program, 1990-1992;
tion to achieve efficiency and avoid conGrain Production Enhancement Pro- flict of interest and a decentralized organigram, 1993-1995;
zational structure by assigning administraGintong Ani Program, 1996-1998;
tive responsibilities to the lowest level of
MakaMASA Program, 1996-2000;
governance capable of carrying out reGMA Cares, 2001-2010;
sponsibilities competently.
F.I.E.L.D.S. (Fertilizer, micronutrients,
The team also recommended the transLeaf Color Chart, Minus One Element formation of the DA into a knowledgeTechnique; Irrigation facilities rehabilita- centered organization by optimizing the
tion and restoration; Extension, educa- use of information technology to improve
tion and training; Loans for inputs, shal- individual and systems efficiency.
low-tube wells, surface water pumps;
Unfortunately, Secretary Panganiban

Dr William Dar hands over to Minister for economic affairs Makoto Iyori, of the
Embassy of Japan, a symbolic copy of InangLupa Movements framework on
modernizing and industrializing Philippine agriculture, during a consultation
meeting May 23, at InangLupas office in Quezon City. Joining them are First
Secretary Kenji Terada, of Japan Embassy, and Dr.Rosana Mula, of InangLupa.

*Editors note: The author currently

serves as President of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc. (PAJ) CALABARZON regional chapter. He previously
worked at the Intl. Rice Research Institute, in Los Baos, Laguna.
was replaced before he could submit the
plan to the president for approval. The
subsequent rationalization plan, which
was developed under the present secretary, is vastly different from the Panganiban plan, Ponce said.
And the failings? Ponce observes:
Among the three ASEAN countries,
the Philippiness agriculture growth is
slowest from the Arroyo administration
to the Aquino administration. In fact,
growth was better in the previous administration, despite the fact that the DA
gets a lower budget under the Arroyo
administration as a study from the World
Bank shows.
At the same time, it costs seven times
more under the Aquino administration to
achieve 1-percent growth in agriculture
compared to the previous administration
(see table).Since toward the mid-part of
the Aquino administration, the so-called
ghost projects have been eliminated in
the DA, but the anemic agriculture
growth shows the lack of organizational
effectiveness and
impact. The
same could be attributed to ineffectual
programs and increasing seriousness of
climate change.
Advice to incoming DA Chief
Therefore, if the new secretary
[Manny Piol, Duterte administration]
wants to succeed, he must examine the
current organizational setup, programs
and budget of the DA. The results of a
scientific analysis should be the basis for
making much-needed reforms, Ponce
said.
Meanwhile, rice is the most vulnerable
among agricultural products because of
climate change, as temperature increases, rainfall changes and sea level rises.
As interrelated processes, experts
point out that climate change also affects
agriculture through changes in pests and
diseases, atmospheric carbon dioxide and
ground-level ozone concentrations, and
changes in the nutritional quality of some
foods.

According to IRRIs Tolentino, rising

water level submerges about 20 million
hectares of rice lands in Bangladesh,
Indonesia, India, the Philippines and
Thailand, while drought affects 23 million hectares in Asia and sub-Saharan
Africa.
On the other hand, countries such as
Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan
and Thailand incur a 12-percent average loss per year because of salinity, or
the saltiness of water that affects 10
percent of their rice areas.
The Philippines has a lot more to
feed, as population soars to 104 million
next year, up from this years 102.4
million, compared to Thailands current
population of 98.1 million and Vietnams 94.3 million.
With the countrys current population and highly diversified land intended for agricultural production, how can
the 2.4 million Filipino farmers with an
average farm size of 1.14 hectares cope
with producing more rice?
Rice is a product of science that has
reached the farthest corner of this
country. There are not many products

(Pls turn to p3)

InangLupa Newsletter, May 2016 Issue

Farm mechanization:
Key to modernization
Modernizing Philippine agriculture
requires mechanizing farm operations,
from land preparation, production,
processing, postharvest, storage to
transporting processed farm and fishery products to markets, here and
abroad.
Farm mechanization should be supported with continuous research and
development, adoption of modern
seeds, climate-resilient technologies,
and provision of needed government
support like credit and subsidies.
These were highlighted by Dr. Rosana P. Mula of InangLupa Movement,
who represented its founding president
and former agriculture secretary Dr.
William Dar, during the 38th anniversary of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), on May 25, 2016, in
Science City of Muoz, Nueva Ecija.
She emphasized that farm mechanization reduces labor and drudgery, especially for women when the equipment is designed taking into cognizance users perspective.
She said government and the private
sector should strongly support the development of the local farm equipment
and machinery manufacturing and fabrication industry by providing needed
investments and capital, as a prerequisite for a successful national farm
mechanization program.
Organized farmers groups should
also engage in agro processing to add
more value to their products, said Dr.
Mula.
Farmers can establish village-level
types of mechanization, from production to post-harvest, up to processing,
where they produce quality-processed
and well-packaged food products, Mula
said.
During her presentation, she also
discussed the InangLupa Movement
framework for modernizing and industrializing Philippine agriculture, adding
that InangLupa is making a headway in
its advocacy, as it now boasts of more
than 2,000 volunteer-members, both
here and abroad.

Dr William Dar and wife Beatriz (4th from left) are joined by officials of the Philippine
Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources thResearch and Development
(PCAAARD), when they graced the investiture of the 6 Benguet State University
President Dr. Feliciano Jofel Galvez Calora, Jr. (inset), on May 17, 2016, at BSU, La
Trinidad, Benguet.

DA honors model farmers, fishers

Four outstanding farmers and fisherfolk were recognized for their vital contribution to the different sectors of agriculture (rice, corn, high value crops, and
fisheries) in line with the celebration of
the Farmers and Fisherfolks Month
held at the Department of Agriculture
(DA) in Quezon City on May 23, 2016.
The awards were conferred to Jerry
Villanada (rice), Leon Bonilla (corn), Fidel
Josue (fisheries), and Demetrio de
Ocampo (high value crops) by DA Undersecretary for Operations Emerson Palad,
Assistant Secretary for Finance Ophelia
Agawin, and Region IV-B Regional Executive Director Cipriano Santiago, in ceremonies held at the DA.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala,
through his message read by Palad, described the farmers and fisherfolks as
the true heroes of our country.
They constantly provide food on our
tables, Alcala said.
The DA continues to collaborate with
farmers, fishers and other agricultural
stakeholders as part of the efforts of
government to develop the rural sector,

focusing on food production.

Based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, agricultural
losses due to El Nio and other calamities like typhoons were much lower
than the projected figures because of
the steadfast cooperation of the private and the public sectors.
The government has continued to
provide interventions including the
conduct of cloud seeding sorties, information dissemination, technology adaptation, construction and rehabilitation of diversion dams, and similar projects essential in mitigating the impacts
of the long-dry spell.
Farmers and Fisherfolks Month is
celebrated every May each year, by
virtue of Proclamation No. 33 signed by
President Corazon C. Aquino in 1989.
The annual celebration aims to give
honor and recognition to the men and
women of the agriculture sector who
toil the farms, amidst adverse weather
conditions to provide safe and quality
foodstuff to the entire nation. (Carlos
Baldosa, DA-AFID)

Adios El Nio, hello La Nia

The countrys rainy season has finally

begun, and drought-stricken farmers
may expect relief in the coming months
from the exceptionally strong El Nio
dry spell since last year, the weather
bureau said.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration
(Pagasa) declared the onset of the rainy
season on May 24, 2016, due to consecutive days of rains over the western side
Focus on science (from p2)
of the country, but also warned that La
of science that have touched the com- Nia is coming.
mon man as much as rice and vacWhile El Nio is associated with
cines, according to National Scientist drought due to below normal rainfall, La
Gelia Castillo, author of All in a Grain of Nia is associated with flashfloods due
Rice, Beyond Manila, How Participatory to above normal rainfall.
is Participatory Development and Rice
Pagasa said the widespread rainfall
in our Life.
experienced in the past few days and
Filipinos (per person) consume 120 the change in the wind system from the
kilograms (kg) annually compared to easterlies to the south to southwest
their counterparts in Thailand, 140 kg; direction suggested the start of the
Myanmar, 228 kg; and Vietnam, 215 kg.
rainy season.
As agricultural productivity takes time,
These prominent changes suggest a
Tolentino advanced interventions in strong manifestation of the shift from
three key areas: irrigation, which takes at
least seven years from project inception dry season to wet season. The onset of
to operation; improving rice variety, the rainy season associated with the
which takes an average eight to 12 years southwest monsoon or habagat is now
to develop from laboratory to farmers in progress, Pagasa deputy administrafields; and learning how the bureaucracy tor Landrico Dalida told a news conferworks (or doesnt) for at least one to two ence on May 24.
We expected that the worst impact
years.
of El Nio will be felt in May. As we end

(the month), it seems (the impact) was

not really that bad. Yes, we were
affected but not that bad, Pagasa
weather services assistant chief Anthony Lucero said.

He said with rains expected in the coming months, the number of provinces
suffering from drought or dry spell would
also go down.
In April, 28 provinces mostly in Mindanao were officially declared in drought
due to below normal rainfall. This month,
37 provinces are expected to be in
drought.
Pagasa weather division chief Esperanza Cayanan said heavy rains usually begin
in July, but the peak of the rainy season
is in August.
The destructive typhoons are usually
experienced from October to December.
Since we have a projection of an incoming La Nia we expect we will experience more rains, Cayanan said.
Pagasa said no cyclones were forecast
in May and June, due to the impact of El
Nio.
But from July to October, eight to 17
cyclones are expected.
Lucero said while El Nio was weakening, its impact would continue to be felt
until August, when La Nina is expected to
develop. Theres still an ongoing El

Nio. We expect that this will end by

late July.(By Dona Pazzibugan, inquirer.net)
InangLupa Newsletter, May 2016 Issue

Rice shortage
in the offing?
The combined stock of milled rice
held by the worlds top five exporters
has gone down to the bare minimum
and the monsoon season setting in
could push the world market toward
another supply shortage like in 2007
and 2008.
Samerandu Mohanty, head of the
International Rice Research Institutes
social science division, Tuesday said the
inventory of India, Thailand, Vietnam,
Pakistan and United States cant go
down further.
Mohanty said the coming rainy seasonand especially the possible onset
of La Niawould test the mettle of
these exporters.
Right now, these countries were not
restricting exports, they seemed to have
learned their lesson, he said, referring to
the cause of the shortage that caused a
price spike almost a decade ago.
Mohanty recalled India and Vietnam
restricting exports back then as stocks
declined. This caused prices to skyrocket
as importers like the Philippines scrambled to secure supplies.
While current supplies were still
enough, we could not afford any more
crop losses after losses due to El Nio,
he said. The exporters could panic again,
which would bring us back to a shortage
crisis.
Citing data from the United States Department of Agriculture, Mohanty said
the top five exporters combined inventory peaked at about 41 million tons in
2013.
According to the IRRI, addressing a repeat crisis required joint action among
the different countries, particularly the
Asean+3 (the Philippines included) and
India. (By Ronnel Domingo, Phil Daily Inquirer)

Dr. William Dar served as keynote speaker at the 19th annual meeting and scientific
conference of the Philippine Society of Soil Science and Technology (PSSST), in
Legazpi City, Albay, on May 18, 2016, where he highlighted the critical role of soil
scientists in modernizing Philippine agriculture. He is shown receiving a plaque of
appreciation from PSSST president Dr. Redia Atienza. Joining them is PSSST vice
president and Bureau of Soils and Water Management assistant director Sonia
Salguero.

P-Noy signs farm tourism law

President Benigno S. C. Aquino III has
signed on May 16, 2016, Republic Act
10816 or the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016 that would allow
farm owners to earn additional income
from tourism.
RA 10816 recognizes that tourism,
coupled with agriculture extension services, can disseminate the value of agriculture in the economic and cultural
development of the country. The law is
a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 3002
and House Bill No. 5299.
The law defines farm tourism as the
practice of attracting visitors and tourists to farm areas for production, educa-

DA budget should be hiked 5 times Salceda

Among the priorities of Gov Joey Sarte
Salceda once he sits as congressman of
the 2nd district of Albay is to increase
the budget of agriculture five times.
Salceda said the present P68-billion (B)
allocation of the sector was just two
percent of the present budget of the
national government though its contri-

bution to employment was 45 percent

of the total labor force while its share in
the economy was 20 percent.
Salceda, an economist, said the increase in the budget of the agriculture
aimed to alleviate poverty and bring
employment opportunities in the rural
areas.(PNA)

BSWM, PCIC forge weather-based crop insurance. Bureau of Soils and Water Management
(BSWM) Director Silvino Tejada (right) and Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC)
senior vice president Norman Cajucom shake hand to seal their partnership in implementing a
Geographic Insurance Unit (GIU) methodology for a Weather Index Based Crop Insurance
(WIBCI) program, that will serve as basis for the PCIC in classifying farms, according to land
limitation and climate hazard caused by drought and excessive rainfall, and determining
resulting crop damage and insurance. The partnership was forged at Clark, Pampanga, May 3,
2016, during an orientation workshop on the development of GIU-WIBCI application. BSWM
Dir. Tejada said at least P3.9 million will be allotted for the six-month project that will be piloted
in the towns of Peablanca and Tuguegarao, in Cagayan, that will benefit at least 180 famers,
this cropping season.

tional and recreational purposes.

Farm tourism can help supplement
incomes in rural areas, where poverty
rates are highest.
The law mandates the creation of a
Farms Tourism Strategic Action Plan,
which will be integrated with the National Tourism Development Plan.
The Plan serves as a comprehensive
blueprint of programs and projects in
the areas of investment promotion and
financing; market research, trends,
innovations and information; accreditation of farm tourism camps; market
promotion and development; agriculture and fishery research; development and extension; institutional and
human resource development; and
infrastructure support.
The law creates the Farm Tourism
Development Board (FTDB), which
shall be attached to the Department of
Tourism (DoT) and will be tasked with
overseeing implementation of the
Farm Tourism Plan.
The FTDB shall be headed by the
tourism secretary as chairman, and the
agriculture secretary as vice-chair.
Board members include the trade
secretary, president of an educational
institution providing farm tourism programs, president of a national farm
tourism organization, president of a
national inbound tour operations association, and president of a national
federation of farmers cooperatives.
The FTDB shall formulate plans and
programs for the development and
promotion of farm tourism in the
country and shall set the overall direction for the implementation of a farm
tourism strategic action plan.
Accreditation of farm tourism camps
shall be on a voluntary basis and shall
be valid for two years. However, accreditation may be suspended or revoked for any violation of the standards.
The new law aims to augment the
income and economic viability of small
farmers and rural communities. (With
reports from BusinessWorld &Manila Bulletin)
InangLupa Newsletter, May 2016 Issue

El Nio cuts (from p1)

turn in the performance of the crops and
fisheries subsectors, which was caused by
the damage brought about by the prolonged dry spell and the two typhoons
that hit the country in late-2015, the PSA
added.
The crops subsector suffered most
from the effects of the dry spell, as manifested by the 8.5% drop in production
during the period, the PSA said. The
crops subsector has a 52% share in the
countrys total agricultural production.
Palay production during the first three
months of the year declined by 10% to
3.93 million metric tons (MMT), from
4.37 MMT recorded in the same period in
2015.
The PSA said this can be traced back to
the negative effects of typhoon Nona in
the last quarter of 2015 and the occurrence of dry spellparticularly in Regions
2, 4B, 6 and 12in the first quarter of
the year. There were also reports of crop
shifting from palay to sugarcane in Cagayan Valley.
Corn output also decreased during the
January-to-March period, registering a 19
% drop to 1.92 MMT, from 2.37 MMT last
year.
The decline in corn production, particularly in Nueva Ecija, was due to the movement of harvest to the second quarter,
with the delayed planting of white corn
and the reported crop shifting to cassava
and sugarcane. The insufficiency in water
supply also prompted farmers to make
areas for yellow corn lie fallow.
In Maguindanao the harvest areas for
corn were totally damaged and smaller
corn cobs were developed due to prolonged dry spell. In Northern Mindanao
and Soccsksargen provinces, reduced
planting was reported due to insufficient
rainfall and rat infestation, the report
added.
The fisheries subsector, likewise, pulled
down the countrys agricultural output in
the first quarter of the year. The subsector, accounting for 15%t of total agricultural output, contracted by 5%, the PSA
said.
Meanwhile, the livestock subsector
posted a 4.7% increase in output during
the period. It accounted for 17% of total
agricultural output.
Cattle and hog production both went
up by 0.5% and 5.5%, respectively. High
demand was attributed to the increase in
the output of both sectors.
The countrys poultry subsector also
registered a growth of 1%. Duck, chickenegg and duck-egg production all posted
increases in output, while chicken production slightly decreased by 0.3%.
Among the reasons cited for the decrease in chicken production were the
delays in loading of day-old chicks in
broiler farms in Ilocos Region and Central
Luzon due to scare of New Castle Disease, the PSA said.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala
earlier said the government will maintain
its agricultural growth target of 3.5% despite the onslaught of the current El Nio
episode. He said the advantage of the
livestock sector, as well as the efforts of
government to pursue the hybridization
of crops will drive the sectors growth
this year.
Alcala explained the Department of
Agricultures
hybridization program
helped scale down the damage caused by
El Nio. (BusinessMirror)

Phl GDP grows (from p1)

quarter of 2015, when growth was recorded at a revised 6.5 %.
Public construction bounces back
For the first quarter of the year,
growth was investment-driven, with
significant contribution from investments in durable equipment, said Esguerra, who also serves as National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA) director-general.
"Fixed capital, which is a better indicator of investment growth, registered a
25.5% growth and contributed 5.8 percentage points to real GDP growth. Construction also grew faster at 12%, compared with 7.6 % in the last quarter of
2015," he said.
In addition, public construction managed to grow 39.9 % in January to March
this year, reversing a 23% contraction
last year.
"All these investments give us confidence that the economy will continue to
perform well in the succeeding quarters
of the year and beyond," Esguerra said.
However, he said exports decelerated
to 6.6%, and imports stood at 15.9% due
to purchases of capital goods, an indication that firms are investing.
Structural transformation
"The high growth recorded for the first
quarter of this year was driven by gains in
the industry and services sectors. The industry sector recorded a growth of 8.7 %,
the highest in five consecutive quarters,
supported by manufacturing, construction, and utilities," Esguerra said.
In addition, the services sector posted a
7.9% growth, on the back of faster growth
in trade, finance, and real estate, renting
and business activities.
"The strength of both the industry and
services sectors once again shows the ongoing structural transformation taking
place in our economy, which is crucial for
sustaining economic growth and generating quality jobs," he added.
Agriculture still weak
Despite overall strong growth, however,
the agriculture sector remained weak,
contracting by 4.4% from almost stagna-

tion the past year.

"Admittedly, the sector remains vulnerable
to
extreme
weather
events. These past two quarters, it was
the impact of El Nio that considerably
reduced agricultural output, similar to
the 1998 episode. But we have shown
that this need not result in a spike in food
prices with good management of the
food stock," Esguerra said.
Moving forward, he said the government must increase public spending on
infrastructure,
specifically
in
the
transport and logistics sector, given their
immense role in the all sectors, especially
agriculture.
"The development of a seamless multimodal transport network as well as improving logistics such as storage and handling mechanisms will enable a more cost
-efficient movement of goods and services across regions," he said.
Moreover, he said that investments in
shared services and facilities, research
and development and the use of modern
technology will also be important in modernizing agricultural production and increasing resiliency to disasters.
"With higher quality and volume and
wider variety of agricultural products, the
agricultural sector can gain access to larger markets locally and even abroad," he
said.
On track to hitting target
The International Monetary Fund and
the Asian Development Bank forecasted
earlier this month that the Philippine
economy would remain robust on the
back of resilient domestic demand. The
institutions pegged the GDP growth for
the Philippines at 6 % this year and 6.2 %
next year.
The growth would be faster than Indonesias 4.9 %, Malaysias 4.4 %, Thailands
three %, and Singapores 1.8 %, the IMF
said.
"Overall, the growth prospect of our
economy for the next quarters is encouraging. Growth in the second quarter of
an election year is usually stronger than
in the first quarter. Barring a significant
drop in business confidence in the second half, the economy seems to be on
track in meeting the full-year target of
6.8 to 7.8 %," Esguerra said. (By Camille
Diola and Jovan Cerda - philstar.com)

CLSU, Prasad seeds forge joint hybrid rice project. To promote and further increase the
production of hybrid rice in the country, the Central Luzon State University (CLSU),
represented by its President Dr. Terry Abella (in green shirt), recently forged an agreement with
Prasad Seeds Philippines, represented by its corporate secretary Atty. Exequiel Magsaysay (in
chequered shirt), to conduct a joint hybrid rice research and production program. signed a
MOA with Central Luzon State University (CLSU) at Salvacion, Rosales, Pangasinan, on May
18, 2016, as CLSU and Prasad officials look on.
InangLupa Newsletter, May 2016 Issue

InangLupa supports (from p1)

8-point economic agenda
In a press briefing on May 12, in Davao City, Dominguez said the economic
agenda is wide-ranging from tax reforms to accelerating infrastructure
building, to support services for farmers and attracting foreign investments
by reducing crime.
He said that while the target economic growth rate is still to be set, the
economic agenda is aimed at boosting
growth through the following:
1. Continue and maintain the current
macroeconomic policies. Reforms in
tax revenue collection efforts will be
complemented by reforms within
the bureaucracy of tax collecting
agencies.
2. Accelerate spending on infrastructure by addressing major bottlenecks, and maintain the target of
setting aside 5% of the country's
gross domestic product (GDP) to
infrastructure spending.
3. Ensure attractiveness of the Philippines to foreign investors, and enhancing competitiveness in doing
business in the country. This also
means reducing crime to attract
investors, and increase security of
businessmen and consumers.
4. Provide support services to small
farmers to increase productivity and
improve market access. Provide
irrigation and better support services to farmers. Promote tourism
in the rural areas.
5. Address bottlenecks in our land administration and management system.
6. Strengthen basic education system,
and provide scholarships for tertiary
education, which are relevant to
private employers' needs.
7. Improve tax system by indexing tax

PNoy signs (from p1)

food security of the State.
RA 18845 shall impose higher sanctions for large-scale smuggling of agricultural products, as a self-preservation
measure to shield itself from the manipulative scheme of economic saboteurs, and to protect the livelihood of
our farmers and to ensure their economic well-being.
The law declares the crime of largescale agricultural smuggling as economic sabotage, involving sugar, corn,
pork, poultry, garlic, onion, carrots, fish
and cruciferous vegetables, in its raw
state, or which have undergone the
simple processes of preparation or
preservation for the market, with a
minimum amount of one million pesos
(P1,000,000), or rice, with a minimum
amount of ten million pesos
(P10,000,000), as valued by the Bureau
of Customs.
Violators are liable for life imprisonment and a fine of twice the fair value
of the smuggled agricultural product
and the aggregate amount of taxes,
duties and other charges avoided.
Acts punishable under this measure
also include using fake, fictitious or
fraudulent import permits or shipping
documents. Also penalized are those

collection to inflation rate, to enable

those who earn a little to have more
in their pockets.
8. Expand and improve implementation of the conditional cash transfer
(CCT) program.
Dominguez said most items on their
agenda include the elimination of corruption in accordance with Duterte's
election campaign promise. Duterte's
administration will be "vigorous" in
prosecuting people who engage in corrupt practices, he added.
Major points, planned initiatives
Among the major points and planned
initiatives Dominguez highlighted during
the press briefing were:
Will look at applying the Davao City
experience in reducing the cost of doing
business, and thus improve the way business is done to boost economic growth.
Focus on revenue creation agencies,
but "will certainly try to reduce the red
tape. The mayor's team in Davao has
been very successful in reducing red tape,
so we're use it as model," Dominguez
said.
Make sure people get services
promptly and well from frontline agencies: the ones that release their license
plates, driver's licenses and SSS. Focus on
areas where government meets face to
face with citizenry.
Will certainly focus on "catching and
prosecuting people engaged in corrupt
practices."
Make taxation more progressive. Will
look at long-pending proposals to change
the income tax brackets, as these were
set 25 years ago, and are no longer fair.
On inclusive growth, Dominguez said
we have in No. 4, 'promote rural development.' Two-thirds of people below
poverty line live in the rural areas. If you
want to bring them above the poverty
line, you have to go where they are; make
sure that agricultural productivity is in-

found to sell, lend, lease, assign, or consenting to the use of import permits of
corporations, non-government organizations (NGOs), associations, cooperatives, or single proprietorships by other
persons.
Effective deterrent
Rosendo O. So, of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), said he expects the law to serve as an effective deterrent to smuggling, which has greatly
affected the livelihoods of millions of agricultural producers. SINAG is the umbrella
group composed of 33 farmers and irrigators associations.
Now, smugglers and their cohorts at
the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Agriculture will think twice, given
the harsher penalties and non-bailable
provisions of the law on suspected smugglers, So said in an email to DA beat reporters on May 26.
... we are hoping that this new antismuggling law will complement the commitment of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to combat smuggling, So said.
SINAG said close to P200-billion worth
of agricultural goods were smuggled into
the country in the last five years, comprising of rice (P94 billion), pork (P40B) and
sugar (P25B).
Other commodities SINAG monitored
include chicken, garlic, onion and carrots.
(By Noel Reyes, with reports from Janina
Lim, BusinessWorld)

The Philippine Association of Agriculturists,

Inc. (PAA)
Central Luzon hosted on May 20
the 1st International Agricultural Technology
Conference, at Clark, Angeles City, where
Dr. William Dar enjoined the PAA officers
and members to consider InangLupas
framework
for
modernizing
and
industrializing Philippine agriculture. He is
shown receiving a plaque of appreciation
from Pampanga State Agricultural
University President Dr. Honorio Soriano,
while PAA president Dr. Evelyn Esquejo (3rd
from left), and other PAA officers look on,
among them are Dr. Norman De Jesus, Dr.
Bert Raola and Dr. Rafael Guerrero III.
creased; access to markets is increased;
you start promoting other rural development projects in the area."
On health, they will look to expand
the Philippine health insurance system,
focusing on two-thirds of our people in
rural areas and those who live below poverty line.
On education, hone excellence in
mathematics, communication skills and
logical thinking. Dominguez said aAn expanded scholarship program in tertiary
level is also on the agenda, and, "very
critical, we will try to match what is
taught with what is mandated in the
field." He said they were concerned by
the rising number of graduates not finding jobs that suit their education and
training.
Finally, Dominguez said the new administration will definitely make the business environment more friendly to foreign investors.
He explained that the main job of the
transition team is "to make sure the new
administration hits the ground running;
that it's fully staffed with qualified people; and fully ready for all the challenges
and hard work ahead of us." (By Noel
Reyes, with reports from InterAksyon.com)

InangLupa Newsletter
Editorial Board
William D. Dar

Noel O. Reyes

Adviser

Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Consultants:
Zosimo M. Battad
Cheryl N. Caballero
Francis J. Flores
William C. Medrano

Rosana P. Mula
Santiago R. Obien
Junel B. Soriano

Paul Vincent M. Anareta

Jean Louise F. Surara
Copy Editors

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E-mail: inanglupa@yahoo.com;
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Office
InangLupa Movement, Inc. Office
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InangLupa Newsletter, May 2016 Issue