INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) on Wednesday kicked off a tour of provinces reeling from the effects of typhoons and floods as the group takes part in the global commemoration of World Food Day.
The umbrella group of farmers, agribusiness operators and party-list groups brought food to some 25,000 children in flood-affected areas of Bulacan and Pangasinan to start a program dubbed “Sa Maunlad na Agrikultura, Bansa ay Sasagana.”
The program’s initial salvo involved feeding activities that covered 27 public schools in Calasiao, Pangasinan and in Plaridel, Bulacan.
Sinag chair Rosendo So said similar activities are planned in Albay and in the Visayas where there are many areas still recovering from the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
So explained that while attending to the nutrition needs of the children, the initiative also supports farmers, and the food served come from their harvest, including rice, vegetables, pork, chicken meat and fish.
He said that in the Calasiao sortie alone, backyard and commercial hog raisers contributed some 2,200 kilos of pork while rice farmers and millers in Pangasinan donated 2,000 kilos of the grain.
“The very same smallholding farmers, fishers and backyard livestock raisers also suffered from strong typhoons such as ‘Ondoy,’ ‘Pablo,’ ‘Santi,’ Yolanda, and the recent ‘Glenda,’” So said in an interview.