Manila Mayor and presidential aspirant Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso on Friday, March 11, assured farmers that they will no longer be victims of false promises by politicians once he gets elected.
Domagoso made the statement during his campaign sortie in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija.
During a press conference at the Harvest Hotel, Ka Joey, a calamansi farmer and a farmers’ leader, narrated his bitter experiences during every presidential election cycle.
Ka Joey said that in all the years he's been voting, all presidentiables kept on promising the prioritization of farmers and creation of platforms that aid the farming industry in the country. However, none of these has been implemented.
He even recalled a presidentiable who visited Cabanatuan and just held a piece of calamansi but did not state any program that will help farmers and calamansi growers in the country.
Domagoso replied that he cannot blame the farmer for having such misgivings since politicians tend to promise everything just to get the votes of the masses only to renege on their campaign pledges once elected.
“Yung punto mo kanina na mukhang marami ka ng naibotong presidente, at naging tadtaran lang ang likod niyong mga magsasaka ng mga salita ng mga pulitiko. So, ang ibig sabihin, nabobola lagi. Kung tawag niyo ay naging tadtaran, ang tawag sa amin ay nadala sa basketball, na-dribble (I understand your plight wherein you've already voted a lot of presidents, but no one kept the promises they made when they were wooing for your votes)," Domagoso said.
“Hindi kita masisisi at iba pa nating magsasaka na kapag halalan, ang bida mahirap. Pero pag lingkuran na, o kaya ay time to prove and time to deliver services, ang mga mahihirap nasa dulo ng walang hanggan (I cannot blame you or other farmers who are losing their faith and hope after politicians kept on promising everything but, once elected, fail to give the public service that they vowed to you)," he added.
The Aksyon Demokratiko presidential bet pointed out that the 50 percent cut in the excise taxes on oil products and electricity that he vowed last October was made before farmers and fisherfolks in the province of Tarlac.
“My point is, kaya ako umiikot hindi para pulaan ‘yung sitwasyon niyo, kundi para malaman ‘yung sitwasyon niyo, tapos ‘yung policy making, ‘yung programa, plano, binabagay mo sa needs of the time kaya ko nasabi yon (My point is, the reason why I go around is not to take advantage of your situation, but to know and understand your situation. After that, the policy making, programs, and plans
will come through once you understand the needs of the people),” Domagoso said.
He explained that the tax cuts would bring down the cost of agriculture production, especially now that the Russia-Ukraine conflict causes the skyrocket of gasoline prices.
Farmers are heavily dependent on oil products for fuel, fertilizers and pesticides to achieve high crop yields.
Domagoso assured them that his administration will also invest in the establishment of cold storage, grain storage and drying facilities for farmers.
“We guarantee you that we will build more storage and drying facilities for palay (grains). Para pagka baha ang bigas, huwag mapuwersa ang magsasaka na ibenta ang palay niya sa talong halaga (So that if there will be overproduction of grains, farmers won't be forced to sell them very cheaply)," Domagoso said.
He added that palay farmers who stocked their produce in government storage facilities will be assisted by government financial institutions in terms of interest-free loans while waiting for the price of palay to go up.
He also vowed full development in the Department of Agriculture (DA) with regards to food security programs, adapting to technology, science, and skills in order to maximize productivity in limited planting areas. He also assured to clamp down on the smuggling of agricultural products and to limit importation.
“As we progress, unti-unti nating naiintindihan at nasu-sulusyonan ‘yung lahat ng problema ng magsasaka. Pero umasa kayo na lahat ng ito ay mangyayari (As we progress, we may slowly understand and find a solution to all the problems of farmers. Rest assured that all of these will happen)," Domagoso said.