PALAYAN CITY – President Arroyo rallied the country’s farmers to help push the country’s efforts to maximize food production.She said increased food production could serve as hedge against the financial crisis that has toppled the world’s giant economies such as those of the US and European countries.
The President was guest at the third Convention Center here. The event highlighted the birthday celebration of Butil party-list Rep. Leonila Chavez.
The occasion was also graced by Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio M. Umali, his wife third district Rep. Czarina “Cherry” D. Umali, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, Undersecretary Lorelei Fajardo, and other provincial officials.
She thanked the farmers for producing the country’s prime staples.
President Arroyo lauded the cooperative banks that, she said , had helped boost the various agricultural programs in the countryside and pledged to provide additional funding support for the agriculture sector.
Harping on “radical thinking,” Arroyo said the country’s farmers” should produced the rice that we consume instead of buying it from foreign countries and in the process boost our economic standing among our Asian neighbors.” As support for our farmers, President Arroyo said that in Nueva Ecija, instead of 30,000 metric tons, the government is buying one million metric tons of palay.
Mrs. Arroyo cited the efforts of the farmers to help in “feeding the nation.” Speaking in Filipino, She said,” Salamat, pinakain n’yo ang buong bansa at kumikita pa kayo upang umangat ang buong bansa.”
Saying that the country is still economically viable, she announced she had approached the Philippines’ Asian trade partners Japan, Korea and China to combine efforts for “economic cooperation” to enable us to weather the economic crisis.
February 2, 2009
Manila Bulletin
By Magtanggol Vilar
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