Villar berates DA execs for setting aside too much for overhead, research

Senator Cynthia Villar chided officials of the Department of Agriculture after learning that its proposed budget in 2020 included a P150-million allocation for research in the country's national corn program.

Villar, the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, indicated that more funds should be allocated for the direct benefit of the country's farmers.

“Ang budget niyo, puro sa PS, overhead, research. Kung hindi research, regulator. Wala ng nabibigay sa tao. Pera ng tao ‘yan. Taxpayers’ money ‘yan. Bakit hindi niyo bigyan ng tulong ang mga tao?” Villar said at the hearing of the DA's proposed budget.

Villar also accused the National Food Authority (NFA) of colluding with rice cartels and hoarders until its regulatory functions on rice imports was removed under the recently enacted Rice Tariffication law.

The Rice Tariffication law, signed into law by President Duterte last February, allows unlimited rice imports and provides P10 billion a year to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund for the benefit of rice farmers in the next six years.

The RCEF earmarks P5 billion for mechanization and P3 billion for seedlings, with the balance allotted to aid farmers.

“Nung pinapasa ko itong Rice Tariffication, ang instruction sa akin, tanggalin na ang NFA. Naawa lang ako sa inyo kaya hindi ko iyon sinama sa provision. In all the years, kasama kayo ng cartel. Pinapahirapan ninyo ang ating mga mahihirap na rice farmers,” Villar said.

“Kaya iyang sa budget niyo, tigilan na ‘yang puro overhead, PS, puro research. It is time to give something to our farmers para mag-improve sila,” she added. —NB, GMA News