Special cargo lanes for agriculture and fisheries products will be set up in Eastern Visayas in a move to expedite the transportation and eventually lessen the unnecessary costs for farmers and their delivery partners.
Police Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, director of the Police Regional Office 8, said they took the initiative of coordinating with regional office of the Department of Agriculture to come up with ways to assist local farmers in response to the program of President Bongbong Marcos to lower the prices of agriculture products across the country.
“We understand and fully support the program of our Commander-In-Chief and this initiative is the PRO8’s own way of contributing to this goal,” said Banac.
President Marcos has committed to focus on price reduction and supply stability of agriculture products in the country, even designating himself as the DA secretary to ensure that all the department’s programs and projects would be in line with his campaign promise.
Based on his discussion with DA-Regional Field Office through Director Angel C. Enriquez, the cargo lanes will prioritize delivery for agriculture and fisheries inputs and food products that transported via land, sea and air.
Special cargo lanes ensure the timely distribution of agriculture products from the farms to the markets, as any delay is critical to the prices in the markets.
Special cargo lanes also assures protection of the delivery partners from delays and extortion rackets.
“Our personnel will also assist in the distribution of farm inputs and farm machineries especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and this includes monitoring and security in communist rebel-infiltrated areas,” said Banac.
Aside from cargo lanes and protection of the agriculture products, Banac said the PRO8 also committed to monitor the prices of agriculture products in the local markets across the region to protect local farmers from proliferation of smuggled agriculture products and consumers too from hoarding.
Hoarding and profiteering rackets were tagged as the reasons behind price manipulations in the local markets that usually lead to ordinary people suffering the brunt by shelling out additional money to buy agriculture products and other basic goods.
Banac said they will constantly coordinate with the DA and the Department of Trade and Industry in the enforcement of the Republic Act 7581, or the Price Act that provides protection to consumers by stabilizing the prices of basic and prime commodities.
In the same meeting with regional DA officials, Banac also committed for the use of PNP camps, police stations and police-owned vacant lots for the conduct of technology demonstrations crops and livestock.
The PRO8 has recently initiated agriculture-related programs for its personnel and dependents through community gardens, or locally referred to as the “Gulayan sa Kampo” program.
Banac said the regional police force will also intensify the enforcement of regulatory measures for the prevention and management of economically important pests/diseases and provide assistance in terms of logistics support and food mobilization to ensure stable food supply and price, especially during calamities and other emergency situations.
“The PRO8 commits all the assistance needed by the DA and other agencies for the protection of our local farmers and consumers,” said Banac.