The country's top crop-producing provinces should be allocated with additional funds under the proposed 2023 national budget.

Thus, said Camarines Sur 2nd Rep. LRay Villafuerte as he hailed President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for delivering in terms of giving the support that the local agriculture sector needs.

During the Department of Agriculture's (DA) budget hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations last Monday, Sept. 5, Villafuerte commented that agriculture officials “appeared at a loss” on what they intend to do with their P163.75-billion proposed outlay for 2023.

DA’s budget for next year is 39.62 percent higher than this year’s P117.29-billion enacted budget. The hefty budget increase is credited in large part to the thrust of Marcos, who a few months ago voluntarily took on the role of DA secretary.

Villafuerte said the DA officials in the hearing “appear clueless on how to spend the money next year as a surefire way to boost farm output, stabilize domestic supplies and pull down the cost of rice and other essential foodstuffs in the long run".

“But the saying that ‘the devil is in the details’ seems to apply in the case of the President’s most senior aides, as the discussions on the DA’s budgetary allotments for ostensibly priority areas indicate that they have not factored in...higher budgetary allotments for selected provinces as a form of incentive or reward for being top producers and to enable them to step up programs that would allow them to get bigger harvests or produce more meat, fish, vegetables and other farm goods,” added the former deputy speaker.

Villafuerte said he was unsatisfied with the answer of DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa during the budget deliberation on whether the agency has allocated ample funds to top crop-producing provinces that would enable them to spend more on programs to further increase their yields.

“How can you say that the DA budget was prepared according to the President’s priority concerns when the actual NEP allocations do not reflect such priorities?” asked the National Unity Party (NUP) president.

The NEP stands for National Expenditure Program, which for next year is worth P5.268 trillion--the biggest in the Philippines' history.

In particular, the Bicolano became frustrated wherever the DA officials failed to give him straight answers about their offices' Program blueprints.

Villafuerte trged the DA to craft a formula to commensurately allocate its budget.

“Kung meron kayong (If you have) budget preparation for, say P13 billion, may I suggest 25 percent i-allocate ninyo sa mga (would be allocated to) growers of rice, corn and coconut; 25 percent doon sa (to the) least developed producers, and then 50 percent discretion po ng secretary (up to the discretion of the secretary).

"At least may formula, hindi po yung every budget season wala naman tayong formula. Sana may formula kasi we need rice (At least you'll have a formula, and not like every budget season wherein we don't have a formula. I hope there's a formula because we need rice),” he said.

Camarines Sur is the no.6 rice producer in the country despite the lack of an irrigation system. Most of its farms are rain-fed.