Duterte eyes revival of Marcos-era agriculture, fishery programs

President Duterte has promised more assistance to farmers. —WILLIE LOMIBAO

TUGUEGARAO CITY—Describing the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos as a “great man,” President Duterte on Sunday said he may copy Marcos’ agricultural enhancement program called “Masagana 99” that was implemented in the 1970s.

The President also said he would copy “Biyayang Dagat” and correct the agricultural financing programs and may install a system to monitor how cooperatives spend government loans.

“Marcos was one of the brightest Filipinos. What a waste. I regretted his loss,” he said when he visited victims of Supertyphoon “Lawin” (international name: Haima) here.

He repeated his plan when he addressed typhoon victims in the City of Ilagan in Isabela province.

Once investments from countries like China flow into the Philippines, Mr. Duterte said his administration would spend most of the next budgets on agriculture, education and health.

“Let’s prioritize food,” he added.

Mr. Duterte said the Masagana 99 rice subsidy program should be revived. “Masagana” is a Filipino word for abundant while “99” refers to the government’s production target of 99 cavans for every hectare.

Launched in 1973, Masagana 99 was a set of productivity incentives from low-cost credit to fertilizer subsidies and technical and price support, according to the 1981 edition of the Philippine Review of Economics and Business.

Had the program been successfully implemented, the country’s food productivity would have improved, Mr. Duterte said. “But when Marcos started to weaken, there were abuses,” he added.

The Biyayang Dagat fisheries loan and guarantee fund, on the other hand, provided soft loans to fishing organizations through the Land Bank of the Philippines.

“I will revive [these programs]. I will copy them. [Marcos] was bright; he knew what he was doing,” Mr. Duterte said.

He said he was also considering ordering the Land Bank of the Philippines to re-assume its original mandate of providing assistance to farmers.

“Let us restore financing in agriculture. Resume forming cooperatives,” he told farmers in Cagayan and Isabela. But he said his administration would be stricter in releasing loans and collecting payments. —WITH A REPORT FROM VILLAMOR VISAYA JR.

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