Hontiveros to Marcos: Avert food crisis, pick DOH chief in 1st 100 days

Sen. Risa Hontiveros (L) and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should avert a food catastrophe, appoint a secretary to head the Department of Health (DOH), and create an economic roadmap during his first 100 days in office, Senator Risa Hontiveros said Thursday.

Asked on ANC’s Headstart what attainable goals Marcos should achieve in his first 100 days, agriculture is on top of Hontiveros’ mind as it will prevent hunger.

“Head off the food catastrophe. For example, scale up the proposals of the Philippine Rural Development Plan that will dismantle the silos into which aspects of agriculture have been warehoused,” the opposition senator replied.

“May isang silo para sa agricultural inputs, may isang silo para sa post-harvest, may ibang silo pa para sa ibang aspeto (One silo for agricultural inputs, one silo for post-harvest, another silo for other aspects). Bring them all together into a comprehensive, cohesive, whole, and scale that up and implement to stave off hunger in the rural and urban areas,” she explained.

Aside from being the country’s highest leader, Marcos also sits as the agriculture chief.

Hontiveros also pointed out the need to have a health secretary as the country is in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Of course, health. We still need to get ourselves completely out of the COVID-19 pandemic and into a new and better health normal,” she noted.

“So, please appoint a health secretary, if it’s to be the [officer-in-charge], Usec. Mario [Villaverde] now, that would be fine. Also career like Sec. [Enrique] Manalo in [Department of Foreign Affairs] so that we can fully implement the universal health care law especially this year, the year of Mandanas ruling implementation,” she added.

The senator also wanted an economic roadmap to assist Filipinos in recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Please, top 3 in the first 100 days, an economic roadmap encompassing agriculture but all the other aspects of getting our employment numbers back up into the healthy field, saving our [micro, small and medium enterprises] that were first supposed to be saved by the Bayanihan laws,” Hontiveros said.

“Continue the ayuda (aid) to poor families, at least until the pandemic and recession are over, and get the productive forces of our economy moving and producing again,” she pushed.

After taking his oath office as President on June 30, Marcos’ first order was to abolish the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary. — Nicole Faye Agcaoili, INQUIRER.net intern

/MUF