Marcos says no Filipino will go hungry under 'Bagong Pilipinas'
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised on Saturday that Filipinos would not experience hunger under a "New Philippines" — with the prospect of a revitalized agriculture sector equipped with modern knowledge and sufficient support from the government.
The president said this during the ceremonial palay harvesting and distribution of various assistance in Candaba, Pampanga.
"We will work towards developing our agriculture, which will be one of our priority steps in establishing a Bagong Pilipinas — where no one will go hungry and all are actively moving for a more prosperous future," said Marcos in Filipino.
The statement comes years after he assured Filipino voters of lowering the price of rice to P20 per kilo, a 2022 campaign promise which has yet to come into fruition to this day.
Marcos also took the time to laud Filipino farmers for their hard work, after the country registered a record-high production volume of 20.06 million metric tons (MT) of palay in 2023, which is 1.5% higher than the 19.76 million MT produced in 2022.
To ensure sustainable harvest, the president assured farmers of further government support. With this, he also distributed various forms of assistance such as hauling trucks, seeds financial assistance, among others, to more than 12,000 farmers and ten farmers’ cooperatives and associations.
"To our beloved farmers, your dedication, sacrifice and dilligence truly serves as inspiration to us all," the president said.
"Your hands — that are enthusiastic in cultivating the lands you till — gives life and vigor to the people."
Marcos was accompanied by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa, Pampanga Rep. Anna York Bondoc and several other local officials.
The president earlier held the position of Department of Agriculture secretary to combat the country's food crisis. Various progressive groups have called for him to leave the post after instances of skyrocketing food inflation.
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