Carabao center chief takes Villar’s criticism as a ‘wake-up call’

WHERE’S THE MILK? The Philippine Carabao Center in the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija province is tasked to develop a dairy program but has not done so, so far, which drew criticism from Sen. Cynthia Villar, who funded the project. —WILLIE LUMIBAO

CABANATUAN CITY — The head of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) in the Science City of Muñoz on Wednesday said the agency’s struggle to complete some of its tasks and projects was partly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Arnel del Barrio, PCC executive director, said he welcomed Sen. Cynthia Villar’s criticism of the agency, adding that he was taking it as a “challenge.”

On Tuesday, Villar, chair of the Senate agriculture committee, castigated Del Barrio for reportedly disregarding her suggestions to develop the local dairy industry, which, she noted, had managed to provide only less than 1 percent of the country’s demand for milk.

“What Villar said [at the Senate hearing] is a wake-up call for us,” Del Barrio told the Inquirer. He said he tried to explain his side and pacify the visibly irked Villar during the online hearing but she went on to reprimand him.

Villar said: “If I were the head of the [PCC] and my performance [is that poor], I would have committed suicide. It’s embarrassing.”

But the senator was only trying to “raise a point,” Del Barrio said in her defense, adding that she had been supportive of the agency’s dairy program.

“If you will take the feedback in a negative way, one would have really jumped [to death]. But I didn’t feel that way. I took it as positive feedback,” he said.

He said the PCC had a “near 100-percent performance” in accomplishing its mandate. “What we were discussing [during the hearing] was a particular project [of PCC] that was funded by Senator Villar. It will really be delayed,” he said.

‘Best of our abilities’

According to Del Barrio, PCC officials are functioning “to the best of our abilities,” noting that the pandemic has hampered their efforts to complete some projects.

Under the program funded by Villar, the PCC had to buy about 900 carabaos, but it managed to secure only 541. “Due to restricted movements [brought on by the quarantine] throughout the country, we couldn’t go to the villages and remote areas to procure carabaos,” he said.

He said: “In terms of equipment, winning bidders from Cebu couldn’t build and deliver due to quarantine restrictions.”

He said he agreed with Villar that the agency would need proper technology, food and breed to further improve dairy production. The PCC, he added, was along that line.