Press Release
June 2, 2008

Villar: Release 30% budget share of Mindanao to avert hunger

With hunger threatening Mindanao, Senate President Manny Villar today called on Malacañang to release the island's 30 percent share of the lump sum funds of the P1.227 trillion budget for 2008.

Villar said, the said earmark is contained in a special provision in this year's spending measure.

"The big question is: has this money been released, has Malacañang complied with this clear intent of the law. If this has been made available to Mindanao, food scarcity, and the rise in food prices could have been avoided," Villar said.

He explain that the 30 percent lump sum fund share of Mindanao is on top of the P121 billion that is programmed to be spent by National agencies and local governments in the island.

Villar said the lump sum fund is a block allocation for specific purpose and is outside the budget allocated for the operations of agencies in the 2008 national budget, among the lump sum funds are the school building funds and the E-commerce fund.

"There is no reason for Mindanao to go hungry because it is blessed with natural assets and manpower, which makes agriculture a robust occupation in the area," Villar said.

Villar lamented that despite Mindanao being the country's second biggest island, only one in every 35 hectares of agricultural lands is serviced by irrigation.

"This means, only one in every six hectares of the irrigated land in the country can be found in Mindanao," he added.

However, Villar recalled that despite these handicaps, Mindanao was able to produce P280 billion worth of agricultural products in 2005.

Villar said rice and corn yield in 2005 is 6.6 million metric tons. Fisheries output is 2 million metric tons annually.

"When it comes to rice and fish, Mindanao is more self sufficient and could feed its 23 million population," he said.

The Nacionalista Party president said the key is to unlock the full farming potential of the island.

Villar added, "the fact that Mindanao is below the typhoon zone, the climate is very hospitable for agriculture."

"Infrastructure investment last more in Mindanao because they are insulated from typhoons. There's no need to replenish them periodically as compared to typhoon prone area," he added.

The Senate President also said the 4.3 million agriculture workers in Mindanao who forms the backbone of the labor force can make the island truly a fruit basket.

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