By Francis Allan L. Angelo
Senator Franklin Drilon lamented in an investment forum Wednesday that economic managers do not share the view that agriculture is the saving grace of the Philippine economy amid the pandemic.
“Despite the fact that agriculture was the lone driver of our economic growth this year, it still gets a meager budget. The Department of Agriculture asked for 280 billion pesos for next year. The agriculture sector may end up with only 119 billion in the 2021 budget which we will ratify this week,” Drilon said.
Drilon said focusing on agriculture, especially in Iloilo, is a step in the right direction.
“Against the grim economic outlook, agriculture is a silver-lining. The agriculture sector expanded by 1.6% in the second quarter of this year, and continued with a 1.2% growth in the third quarter. Almost all sectors of our economy shrank this year, particularly the industry sector, which suffered a negative growth of 17.2%, and services, to which the tourism sector belongs, contracted by 10.6%.”
The Ilonggo lawmaker said “there is no question that agriculture, and tourism, are the backbones of the economic strategy and growth for Iloilo and Region 6.”
Drilon again cited the P11.2 billion Jalaur megadam project in Calinog, Iloilo as the game changer for the economic development of Iloilo that is anchored on agriculture.
“The project is now almost halfway in its completion and we expect to inaugurate the dam in 2 years time. This dam will provide a year-round irrigation facility to 32,000 hectares of farmlands in 25 municipalities in Iloilo. It will benefit at least 750,000 farmers as the rice production will double from the present 142,000 metric tons to almost 300,000 annually. It will also create 800,000 hectares of water reservoir, a magnet for tourism investment, and 86,000 cubic meters of potable water per day,” he added.
LIVE, THRIVE WITH THE VIRUS
Meanwhile, Iloilo province is framing its post-COVID-19 economic plans in the context of living and thriving with crises like pandemics.
In the same investment forum Wednesday, Gov Arthur Defensor Jr. said their plans are not limited by or dependent on the availability of vaccines but will be based on their experience during the pandemic-related lockdowns.
He cited the emergence of online trading of agricultural products between towns. The scenario became the inspiration for an online agriculture system that will aggregate in real-time basis products in each other and facilitate the movement of goods.
The plan is to live with COVID based on our experiences, he said.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said the local government will always work hand in hand with the business sectors “to capitalize on our potentials for the growth of our community and our people.”
Treñas said they will institutionalize reforms and strategies that will attract and enable businesses to thrive while coping with the pandemic.
