Farmers, fisherfolk seek reform, overhaul of DA

MANILA, Philippines—An umbrella group of farmers and fisherfolk called for a massive reform and overhaul of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which it said had no business getting P148 billion in taxpayers’ money in 2014 until such a retooling is carried out.

The Alyansa Agrikultura, which counts 42 federations and organizations in its membership, said the DA is poised to get a P78-billion in next year’s budget as well as control of P70 billion from the coco levy fund.

Arsenio Tanchuling, president of Alyansa Agricultura, said the group’s opposition to the DA’s being allowed to handle so much funds is borne of the agency’s “faulty funding mechanisms (that) allowed the channeling of scarce resources meant for poor farmers and fisherfolk to unscrupulous nongovernment organizations and people’s organizations.”

Tanchuling said that one way for the DA to make amends is to allow the budget committee of the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC)—in which his group is represented—to take part in a thorough investigation of the funds misuse and file appropriate charges against the guilty parties.

The Alyansa made the statements amid a controversy involving the DA and agencies under its supervision which were found to have been made conduits for the corrupt use of lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Tanchuling said millions of pesos were released to questionable NGOs and people’s organizations because of the DA’s lax and poor accreditation system, while funds have been “irresponsibly released” through entities like the NAFC itself

“(The DA) should also institute massive and deep reform, especially in the budget formulation and monitoring process, where significant private-sector participation is assured,” he said.