NO POLITICAL PLANS, AGENDA; I SIMPLY LOVE WHAT I'M DOING!

Damn if you do, damn if you don't!

I guess this is what I am going through right now.

As I seriously move fast to address issues and problems in agriculture and fisheries in the country and in finding solutions to the problems and poverty in the countryside, some people are starting to suspect that I am harbouring political ambitions and agenda.

"My next President!," "My Vice President" and "Future Senator" are among the comments I read in reaction to my Facebook posts on what I have been doing as Secretary of Agriculture.

I find these comments disturbing and I decided to address these issues once and for all.

I must admit that some people have openly suggested to me that I consider a Senate seat in 2022.

But let me set everything straight.

No, I have no political agenda. I have no ambitions to vie for a national political position.

I have personally told President Rody Duterte months ago that I will retire from government service at the end of his term in 2022.

So, why am I working hard and moving fast as Secretary of Agriculture?

It is because I was given a task or a mission if people would call it as such. I am passionate about the things that I am assigned to do.

Those who have worked with me are familiar with my working habits as a public official. I really do things fast. In fact, I must admit that I even cut corners sometimes.

When I was Governor, I packed a tent in my pick-up truck and I spent nights in remote villages just talking to people.

These rural sojourns gave me the opportunity to assess situations up close and helped me find appropriate and effective interventions.

Those who expressed amazement at the speed with which I do things and implement programs are even in for bigger surprises.

I'm just warming up. You have to understand that the budget and programs I am implementing now were crafted by the previous officials of the DA.

Even the 2017 Budget and Programs are results of the planning of the former DA leaders.

When the budgeting for 2018 comes along sometime early next year, I will already be able to lay down the programs and projects which would be reflective of the directions for agriculture and fisheries as set by President Duterte.

These programs and projects would be more focused on Food Production, Poverty Alleviation and greater contribution by the agriculture and fisheries sectors to national growth.

So, let me again set things straight:

I have NO political agenda and I am appealing to people to stop suggesting that I should consider higher political positions. That is not in my Bucket List.

I WORK HARD AND I DO THINGS FAST BECAUSE I LOVE WHAT I AM DOING AND BECAUSE I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES.

Please allow me to do my job and work hard without being suspected of harbouring a political agenda.

Suggesting that I do things the way they are done - fast and quick - because I have political ambitions would be very unfair to me and it would affect my work.

Remember that the political arena is a dog-eats-dog territory.

There are those who crave for very high political positions and I will be placed in the crosshair of political character assassination if they feel that I would be a threat.

Ibigay na natin ang pulitika sa kanila.

Happiness is not about power or lofty positions.

Happiness is all about being able to do what you love to do and of realising your dreams.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

T'WAS PRESIDENT DUTERTE'S RESOLVE WHICH GAVE FARMERS FREE IRRIGATION

Watch the Video Footage

"Victory has many fathers but defeat is an orphan."

Yesterday, I came across an article which quoted the head of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) as saying that the "Free Irrigation Policy" recently implemented by government is an "initial victory" of the Filipino farmers.

In a self-congratulatory statement, KMP Secretary General Antonio Flores said "We claim this as an initial victory for farmers. Farmers and irrigators associations have launched a nationwide campaign for free irrigation and formed the Pambansang Ugnayan para sa Libreng Irigasyon at Patubig or PATUBIG to assert free irrigation services."

There was never any mention of how government was able to implement "Free Irrigation" for 2017 in the KMP statement, not even a word of thanks for President Rody Duterte whose resolve actually made this farmers' dream a reality.

Well, let me just set the record straight.

It was actually in M'lang, North Cotabato in August of 2014, when then Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte publicly shared his thoughts on "Free Irrigation."

"Why ask the farmers to pay for something which is their's? Water is national patrimony. Water should be provided free to our farmers just as we allow the traders to use the public highways for free," was what Duterte essentially said during the farmers' week celebration in M'lang where he was guest of honour.

It was a commitment which Duterte kept on repeating during the whole Presidential campaign and which he did not forget when he became President.

It was also a promise which I kept reminding him about when I became Secretary of Agriculture.

Free Irrigation did not come easy. I should know because President Duterte tasked me to work on it even if the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is not under the Dept. of Agriculture.

First, there was resistance from some members of the government economic team which viewed Free Irrigation as a "subsidy."

Second, even officials of NIA were averse to the idea of Free Irrigation. In fact, even with the public pronouncements of President Duterte on Free Irrigation, NIA under former administrator Florencio Padernal did not include an additional amount in the agency's budget proposal for 2017 to cover the Irrigation Service Fee (ISF).

In Nueva Ecija, I was told that farmers who wanted to hold a forum on Free Irrigation were not allowed to use the NIA facility by regional officials of NIA in Region III.

Honestly, I was deathly worried that President Duterte's commitment of "Free Irrigation" would not be fulfilled.

With the explicit instructions of President Duterte, however, I relayed to the key members of Congress and the Senate his wish for the realisation of his commitment of "Free Irrigation."

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Cong. Karlo Nograles, Congresswoman Megan Antonino and members of the House Committee on Agriculture headed by Cong. Jose "Bentot" Panganiban, Jr., including opposition leaders, threw their support to Free Irrigation.

It was a unanimous position among Congressmen to support Free Irrigation. In fact, some even proposed that the old accounts of the farmers be condoned.

It was in the Senate, however, where I was really assured that "Free Irrigation" for Filipino rice farmers would be realised when Senator Loren Legarda, head of the powerful Finance Committee committed that she would work on providing additional funding for NIA to cover the ISF for 2017.

The support in the Senate was unanimous as almost all members, including those critical of President Duterte, pushed for Free Irrigation.

Senators Cynthia Villar, Francis Pangilinan, Ralph Recto, Risa Hontiveros, Miguel Zubiri, Manny Pacquiao, Koko Pimentel and Franklin Drilon were among the strongest supporters of Free Irrigation.

It was Cynthia Villar who actually confronted the hard-headed former NIA officials and asked them how much was needed to cover the ISF collections for 2017 and ensure the fulfilment of President Duterte's commitment of Free Irrigation.

This is the true and real story behind the realisation of that age-old dream of the Filipino rice farmers for Free Irrigation.

I am not belittling the efforts of farmers' groups like KMP who batted for Free Irrigation but the fact remains that had it not been for the resolve of President Duterte, it would just have remained a dream.

Looking back at what went through, I ask myself: "What would have happened if the Free Irrigation commitment was not realised?"

I would have resigned as Secretary of Agriculture because I had no face to show to the farmers who believed me when I assured them that the Duterte Presidency meant Free Irrigation.

If President Duterte failed to deliver on his promise of Free Irrigation, the KMP and the other radical groups now claiming victory would certainly be in the streets denouncing the President and attacking him as a liar.

They would have publicly crucified him for reneging on a promise and betraying the farmers.

President Duterte does not relish gratification neither does he want to be glorified for serving the people.

But I believe that in the interest of fairness, the KMP should have at least acknowledged that without President Duterte's strong resolve to fulfil his promises, there would be no "Free Irrigation Victory" to celebrate today.

Free Irrigation has come true because there is a President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

By Manny Piñol

SOLAR-POWERED IRRIGATION SYSTEM A PRODUCT OF TRIPS TO COUNTRYSIDE

The idea to build the first prototype of a Solar-Powered Irrigation System was actually a result of the many trips I made to the countryside which I called "Biyaheng Bukid."

As early as May of 2016, I started travelling all over the country even before I could assume the post of Secretary of Agriculture on June 30.

It was during my trip to Aparri, Cagayan Valley when I saw the great irony of so much water in the huge Cagayan River but rice fields just beside the massive body of flowing water were dry and unproductive during the summer months.

The reason was very simple: The river banks were so deep that to bring water to the vast rice fields, farmers have to use diesel powered centrifugal water pumps which is actually a very expensive operation.

It was in Aparri when I remembered what I saw earlier in Thermal City, Southern California where my friend, Filipino-American Rocky French, operated a Tiliapia fish farm in the middle of the Coachella Valley Desert.

Rocky French used huge solar panels to power three big water pumps which drew water from underground, up to a depth of about 1,200 feet and these supplied water to about 25 acres of fishponds.

In the last week of June, I made a quick trip to California to visit French in his farm in Thermal City and that was when I asked him to design for the country of his birth a small solar-powered system which could be established in a short time with low cost in the many upland and rain-fed rice fields of the Philippines.

Rocky introduced me to Moses Khuu, a young American solar-power engineer who helped him perfect his own system in Coachella Valley.

When the area to build the first solar-powered irrigation system was found in Barangay New Janiuay, M'lang, North Cotabato, Moses Khuu started working on the project initially with his brother-in-law, Gabriel Gonzales, and lately with Korean-American Kyu Whang.

Moses had to travel back to the US several times to procure the needed gadgets to build a No-Inverter Solar-Powered Irrigation System which would run the water pumps even when the sunlight was weak.

The absence of the Solar Inverters in the system that Rocky French and Moses Khuu designed is critical in the viability of the project because without the inverters, the cost of the project would be greatly reduced and there would be no need to buy the expensive batteries.

Frinally, yesterday, I switched on the first No-Inverter Solar-Powered Irrigation System in the presence of officials of Barangay New Janiuay led by Barangay Chairman Godofredo Constantinopla and the landowner, an old farmer named Antonio Jugos.

Pumping out water from a pond just beside the 5-hectare property of old man Jugos using a 10 horsepower water pump, the System is capable of submerging 3 to 4 hectares of rice fields in a day. It could provide water to a contiguous area of between 50 to 100 hectares using a pipe distribution system.

What is amazing with the system is the speed with which it could be assembled in the field.

Moses Khuu told me yesterday that if all the materials are available, he and his team could build the system in two weeks.

Aside from that the cost of providing water is estimated at P120,000 per hectare if the area is only 50 hectares and P60,000 if the coverage is 100 hectares.

President Rody Duterte will be invited to formally switch on the first No-Inverter Solar-Powered Irrigation System early next year and that would signal the start of the Solar-Powered Irrigation Revolution in the country.

With this innovation, water will now be available to farmers in the upland and rain-fed rice fields.

All that would be needed would be a source of water like a small water impounding, a lake or even deep wells and, of course, plenty of sunlight.

By Manny Piñol

CHINA CONFIRMS END TO SHOAL BLOCKADE

China has confirmed it is no longer driving away Filipino fishermen from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing her government made “proper arrangements” after President Duterte expressed concern about access to the shoal.

Hua said the issue had been handled “based on the friendship between China and the Philippines.”

Last week, Filipino fishermen began returning from the shoal with plenty of catch.

The Chinese relaxing of their hold on Panatag came days after Duterte’s return from his state visit to Beijing last Oct. 21.

During the visit, Duterte said he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping the maritime dispute. Duterte had also announced during his visit his foreign policy pivot to China.

In Manila, the development at the shoal remains a puzzle to Philippine officials.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said they welcomed the development but stressed there was no agreement between the Philippines and China that prompted the latter to cease its blockade of the shoal to Filipino fishermen.

“There was no expressed agreement but it seems like the traditional rights of our fishermen are being respected. There is no talk of the territorial rights. There is no talk on assertion of rights but they respect our traditional rights,” Esperon said.

The Chinese seized the shoal – also called Bajo de Masinloc – in 2012 after a standoff with the Philippine Navy, which tried to arrest Chinese poachers in the area. The Chinese have not left the shoal since then.

A UN-backed international tribunal based in The Hague declared in July that Panatag Shoal is a common fishing ground.

The tribunal, in the same ruling, invalidated China’s massive nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea.

Located 124 nautical miles from Zambales, Panatag Shoal is well within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

As of yesterday, Esperon said there were no more Chinese naval ships around the shoal and what remained were only coast guard ships.

Esperon also maintained that despite the development, the Philippines is not surrendering its sovereignty over the area to China, which was invoking its “historical rights” to assert its claim.

“Maybe not now but when we go to another round of talks, we’ll again assert it,” he said. – Jaime Laude

By Jaime Laude, Associated Press

Duterte's Idea to Turn Postal Bank into OFW Bank Planned!

Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) assistant postmaster general for marketing Luis Carlos is backing President Duterte’s idea to turn the Philippine Postal Savings Bank (Postal Bank) into a bank for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Source: PhilStar

Japanese News Anchor: "HE IS A GOOD LEADER INDEED!"

Our President is in Japan News, at isa sa mga anchor said, na napakatalino ng Presidente ng Pinas. He knows what he have to do. Imagine daw the fact na mainit ang sigalot ng teritoryo ng China at Pinas pero nagawa daw nyang maging smooth ang paguusap at nauwi pa sa magandang resulta. Sabi pa ng ibang anchor news HE IS A GOOD LEADER INDEED. maliban nga lang sa pagnguya ng gum at pagmumura nya ✌😂 pero indi naging issue iyon kasi he is just HONEST person daw. 

GOOD NEWS! Because of DUTERTE, No More Chinese Coast Guard in Scarborough!

NOW. THIS IS A DIPLOMATIC TRIUMPH!

"There are no longer any China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels in the disputed Scarborough Shoal and Filipino fishermen are now able to freely access the area, Malacañang said Friday, October 28."

"Some Filipino fishermen from Subic, Zambales are now able to fish atScarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal), a report said on Friday.
"A "News To Go" report quoted a fisherman as saying that his comrades who ventured off waters have reported via radio that Chinese vessels no longer sent them away. "Fishermen there consider this good news, after more than four years of being unable to enter the territory due to the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard"

"Fishermen there consider this good news, after more than four years of being unable to enter the territory due to the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard, the report said.

"The fishermen are also hoping to continue being free to catch fish in the area.

"While Malacañang maintained that the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China will not be discussed in depth, President Rodrigo Duterte said he spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Panatag Shoal issues in a closed-door meeting during his state visit in China.
"
Duterte refused to give details on the conversation but hinted that something may happen after it.