Senator Cynthia Villar deserving of 'organic ambassador' title, says party-list group
Senator Cynthia Villar
Pro-farmer group Magsasaka Party-list has hailed Senator Cynthia Villar's recent appointment as “Ambassador of the Women in Organic Agriculture in Asia” by a group of organic farming advocates across the continent. “Senator Villar’s appointment comes at a time when the Philippines, like many countries around the world, is facing skyrocketing food inflation due to supply issues and high fuel costs, and this new role of the good senator has never been more important,” said Magsasaka Party-list first nominee Robert Nazal Jr. Villar was appointed “organic ambassador” by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)-Organics Asia and the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities, Cities and Provinces of the Philippines (LOAMCP) during the 6th Organic Asia Congress hosted by Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte. The event ran from June 4 to 6. “We cannot think of any Filipino deserving of the position as Asia’s organic agriculture ambassador than Senator Villar given her passion for promoting organic farming as a suitable method to improve food security, which is one of the priorities of President Ferdinand [Bongbong] R. Marcos Jr.,” added Nazal. The groups cited the lady senator's significant work in promoting organic farming--an agricultural approach that promotes healthy products free from components that may harm humans and nature. Nazal said he and Villar shared the same aspirations for Filipino farmers, whom he called the “backbone of food security and nutrition in the country". Magsasaka Party-list won a seat in the House of Representatives during the May 2022 elections. Although the Commission on Elections (Comelec) already issued a Certificate of Proclamation in his favor, Nazal needs to wait for the Supreme Court (SC) to settle a leadership dispute within the party-list group before he could assume office at the House. An agricultural entrepreneur, Nazal has been actively promoting sustainable agriculture. His companies UAL Bioscience Corporation and HealthWellnessLifestyle or HWL are the cutting edge of technology and innovation in the agri-business sector.