President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. | PHOTO: Presidential Communications Office
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday said he was not yet keen on leaving the Department of Agriculture (DA) as its secretary as he wanted to have “systems in place” first in the agency.
Speaking to reporters in Valenzuela City, the President said in jest that he was waiting for volunteers to head the DA, but he quickly turned serious, saying he wanted to address the food crisis in the country first before leaving the agency.
“You know, the truth of the matter is, we have really managed to make some very important structural changes in the Department of Agriculture,” Mr. Marcos said.
But he admitted that the country experienced crises in food supply and food prices at the start of the year.
“Now, more or less, the prices of the agricultural commodities are beginning to stabilize. Now, we are going to make the structural changes that are important to increase production,” he said. The DA is the only government agency without a secretary, almost a year since Mr. Marcos assumed the presidency.
By the time he leaves the DA, the President said he expects that systems will be in place “to guarantee the food supply of the Philippines,” adding that he wanted to guarantee that prices of goods are affordable and “that our farmers make a good living.”
Fertilizer donation Mr. Marcos was in Valenzuela on Friday morning for the turnover of 20,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer from China. He told reporters that the agricultural cooperation between the Philippines and China is “very promising.”
In his speech, he said, the donations “symbolize the value of the relationship between the two countries.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, who was present during the turnover, said “the arrival of fertilizers speak for China’s actions and sincerity.”
“We hope these fertilizers could extend a helping hand to those in need in the Philippines and increase farmers’ income,” he said.
The DA promulgated the implementing guidelines on the distribution of the urea fertilizers from China to eligible rice producers nationwide for the wet cropping season this year.
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