Bantay Palengke, an advocacy network focused on food and household goods, today asked Department of Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. to disregard issues regarding his lack of a college degree and focus on delivering results for the DA’s constituency.
According to Bantay Palengke Convenor Lester Codog, “Truth be told, we are not interested in the elitist conversations about the superiority of people with college degrees. What is more important to us is the DA secretary's commitment to improving food production and solving food price issues.”
Codog also mentioned that the majority of the DA’s constituents, especially farmers, and market vendors, are not college graduates.
“The lack of a college degree did not stop farmers and vendors from being crucial parts of how food reaches people’s plates. We think Tiu Laurel can also contribute well to our objectives of food security and accessibility by committing to these goals and delivering on his commitments,” he added.
Bantay Palengke, thus, issued a challenge to the DA secretary to ensure that his leadership will lead to results.
“We know that food inflation is very real nowadays and this could worsen as we approach the Christmas season. Secretary Tiu Laurel has a chance to prove his doubters wrong by solving issues close to our people’s stomachs,” Codog said.
Bantay Palengke