Program pioneered by guv’s uncle corn farmers receive P15M

CEBU, Philippines - The Capitol has provided P15 million for the corn-based Farmer-Scientists Training Program pioneered by Dr. Romulo Davide in his hometown of Argao in 1994.

Dr. Davide is the uncle of Gov. Hilario Davide III.

The Provincial Board has realigned the said amount representing the unused appropriation of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist for the Integrated Farming System Development Program (IFSDP) of former governor and now third district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia.

The program has a total appropriation of P18.3 million for this year.

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale reported that of the initial budget released to the IFSDP amounting to P9 million, only P3 million was actually spent and utilized from January to May 2013 when she was acting governor.

Magpale said that there is a remaining balance of P15 million for the said appropriation. She said that the office of the provincial agriculturist has requested to “modify, transfer and allocate the remaining balance to the FSTP to maintain the continuity and uninterruption of benefits accorded to its concerned constituents within the Province of Cebu.”

The PB proposed that P10 million of the realigned budget is for the FSTP techno-demo inputs, foodstuff and training supplies while the P5 million is for the insurance program for crops, livestock, farmers, fishermen and motorized or non-motorized bancas.

Gov. Davide, in his message during the inaugural session of the PB last July 1, 2013, urged the members to provide funds for the FSTP.

Dr. Davide, the governor’s consultant on agriculture, is a Cebuano agriculturist and the Philippine’s 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee.

He said that by learning from scientists about high-yielding crops and modern agriculture techniques, local farmers suffering in poverty were able to make at least P125,000 a year compared to almost zero before the program.

In 2008, Executive Order 710 was issued by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo adopting the FSTP program nationwide.

Dr. Davide said that the program was lacking in implementation and it needs to be accelerated and expanded with the help of government agencies as well as local governments.

He was once a P1-a-year consultant of Garcia to lead the program in the province but it was changed after the 2010 election, when his nephew ran for governor against Garcia and the program was replaced by IFSDP.  JPM (FREEMAN)