Reelectionist Senator Francis Tolentino expressed belief that government support for the promotion of Filipino-made products must include protection of agricultural lands which are vital to domestic industries.
Tolentino pointed this out after he was asked how the government could address the continuing conversion of farmlands in the province to make way for subdivisions and commercial establishments during a press conference of the Alyansa held in Laguna.
“There must be a way to link the ‘One Town, One Product’ law that we just passed to fill in policy gaps due to the absence of a National Land Use Plan,” the senator said in response to a local media query.
Tolentino is referring to Republic Act No. 11981, or the ‘Tatak Pinoy’ (Proudly Filipino) Law, which President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. signed into law last year.
The senator said he will study the law’s implementing rules to see how the government can stop the unwarranted conversion of agricultural lands, not just in Laguna, but also in other provinces.
“We can regulate the issuance of permits and clearances. You can't be allowed to just wipe out coconut plantations,” the senator stressed.
“As a child, I remember that San Pablo City used to have Franklin Baker,” Tolentino recalled, referring to the company known for producing desiccated coconut and supplying coconut ingredients to major confectioneries around the world.
Laguna is also known for producing coconut based delicacies, most notably the iconic buko pie, he noted.
But the same approach can be used to protect lanzones farms in Alaminos and palay fields in towns such as Victoria and Pila from unwarranted land-use conversion, the lawmaker stressed.
That is why, the senator said, he supports the passage of the National Land Use Plan Act, a measure seeking the sustainable use and allocation of the country’s land resources, which is still languishing in the legislative mill for over a decade.
“I support the call to revive the National Land Use Plan Act which has long been pending, as former Senate President Vicente Sotto III said, since the 15th Congress,” he said.