MARCOS ACTS ON ECONOMY, FOOD CRISIS, HEALTH ISSUES; President rolls up sleeves in his first week in office

By ALFRED GABOT, Editor in Chief

MANILA – Following their oath taking and takeover on June 30, national, congressional and local officials led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte immediately rolled up their sleeves and started working on their plans and programs which they articulated during the campaign.

For his first official act in Malacanang, Marcos administered the oath of members of his Cabinet who included the Vice President as Secretary of Education and called on them to “keep the ball rolling.” Some Cabinet members had initial instructions from the President earlier. Later, the President convened the Cabinet for its first official meeting and tackled pressing concerns such as a looming food crisis, economic woes and health issues, among others.

Marcos, who is scheduled to deliver his first state of the nation address (SONA) on July 25 in which he is expected to unveil a more detailed plans and programs for the country, has yet to name several Cabinet members, namely, the chiefs of the Department of Health, Department of Energy, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Human Settlements and Housing, among others.

After receiving foreign dignitaries from various countries, including the United States, China, Japan and some European and Asian countries, the President held his first executive committee meeting at the Department of Agriculture in Quezon City which he heads in concurrent capacity. (See related stories)

Marcos vowed to increase production of rice and corn and to work to ensure the availability of affordable food for Filipinos.

Before Marcos ascended to the presidency, the country was reeling from looming food crisis marked by high prices of rice, vegetables, fish and meat and smuggling of major food supplies. Several officials led by Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan and the heads of the Bureau of Plant Industry and  other agencies were tagged in a Senate investigation as involved in smuggling of agri products and were recommended to be charged and fired.

Marcos was welcomed by cheering DA employees upon arrival as he presided at his first meeting held at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management conference hall adjacent to the DA headquarters.

Marcos discussed during the meeting his plans and priorities in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, including the food supply and demand outlook for meat and poultry.

“We have to attend to the impending food crisis that it seems will be visiting us in the next two quarters. We can increase our production of rice and corn, at least. And hopefully, I don’t think we have enough time to also cover the problems of livestock and poultry,” Marcos told the DA officials in the closed door meeting.

Marcos directed the DA officials to increase the production of rice and corn, and guarantee the stability of the supply of pork and chicken

“We have to think hard about making sure that people have the same…sufficient food. At number one, at price that they can afford. It is useless to have food if you cannot afford it anyway,” the President said.

The Masagana 150 and Masagana 200 initiatives are offshoots of the Masagana 99 rice production program implemented during the regime of Marcos’ father and namesake Ferdinand E. Marcos. The new Masagana programs were proposed by William Dar, the last Agriculture secretary of the Duterte administration.

“These are good plans that we have to put in place. Let us operationalize them already,” the President ordered.

Masagana 150 targets to produce 7.5 tons of inbred rice per hectare at ₱8.38 per kilo to allow farmers to earn at least ₱50,000 per hectare. Masagana 200 aims to yield 10 tons of hybrid rice per hectare at ₱7.82 per kilo, where farmers are expected to have a profit of at least ₱70,000 per hectare.

In remodeling the Kadiwa stores, Marcos said the rolling food outlets must adapt to the latest technology in food production.

“We really have to reconstruct our value chain starting from our scientists and our researchers all the way to the Kadiwa store. So, we have to remake that model,” said Marcos.

Marcos also ordered DA officials to submit to him the pros and cons of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.

The RCEP is seen to hasten the import and export of products among member-states across the region. Its members include the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand.