Re-nationalization of agricultural services pushed

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. yesterday agreed to work together for the renationalization of the agriculture sector after many of its services were devolved to the local government units (LGUs).

“Earlier, Secretary Laurel and I were discussing if the administration will push for the renationalization of the agriculture services… so that the DA (Department of Agriculture) will handle all the programs in the agriculture sector,” Escudero said during the 25th anniversary of the farmers’ group Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) at Club Filipino in San Juan.

He recalled that the programs related to the agriculture sector were devolved after the passage of the Local Government Code of 1991.

“Since I became a congressman in 1998, I have filed a bill to renationalize agriculture. The problem of our agriculture is that it was devolved, including health, under the Local Government Code of 1991,” Escudero said.

“The hands, arms and the feet of the agriculture department and health were removed,” he added.

In the current bureaucratic setup, LGUs have the power to enact policies that are not aligned with national policies that could be detrimental to the country’s agriculture and food supply. Meanwhile, the DA can only implement its programs on a regional level.

“The DA cannot control the LGUs when it comes to (the latter’s) agriculture policies,” Escudero pointed out.

He added that the agriculture sector is sidelined when it is not part of the priorities of the sitting LGU officials.

“That is the reality on the ground. We hope that it will be the solution of the administration to push for renationalization of agriculture so that the agriculture secretary will be empowered again,” he said.

For his part, Tiu Laurel supports the return of the devolved agricultural functions to the DA.

“It (renationalization of the agricultural services) is better. The DA now is an agency where it has many generals, colonels but it has no sergeants. It has no foot soldiers. It is very difficult to implement programs. There are good LGUs and good provincial agriculturists all over the country but it is very difficult to coordinate with other LGUs,” Tiu Laurel added.

He added the reversion of the functions would allow the DA to immediately implement its programs down to the barangay level and make the process “simpler” to achieve the government’s goals.

“We don’t need a higher budget. We have enough people to do it. We just need the mandate that we can put people up to that level. I am not asking for more people, I am not asking for more budget,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel announced in the same event the creation of a 10-man council to address the issues affecting the local agriculture sector.

“What I want and my order yesterday is that by Jan. 15 (2025), it will start its monthly meetings,” Tiu Laurel said.

He invited both the PCAFI and another farmers’ group, Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), to join the council.

“The composition of the 10-man council include two from the government, two from the DA, one director and one assistant secretary, one from PCAFI, one from FFF, then the rest will be farmers, processors and exporters,” Tiu Laurel said.

The PCAFI is headed by Danilo Fausto while the FFF is led by former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor.

He said that the main task of the council is to tackle the problems affecting all local crops, granting farmers the opportunity to meet monthly on these problems and come up with ideas and answers for their concerns.

“Everybody has a set of schedule every month to tackle their issues and ideas so that every month, a decision will be made,” he added.

Among the issues besetting the agriculture sector is the extent of damage brought by the successive typhoons.