Erap: Rising hunger due to neglect of agri sector

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Joseph Estrada on Monday attributed the rising level of hunger among Filipinos to government neglect of local farmers following a survey showing that 3.3 million households experienced hunger in the last three months. Speaking at the General Assembly of the Federation of Irrigators' Association of Central Negros in Bago City, Negros Occidental, the former president expressed dismay at the rising hunger levels revealed in the latest Social Weather Stations survey, saying the Philippines has still not achieved agricultural self-sustenance because of the government's neglect of the agricultural sector. In his speech, Estrada said that in 1998, his administration used agricultural development as the means to prevent the full effects of the Asian Financial Crisis from hitting the country. He said his administration's Agrikulturang Maka Masa program was able to increase agricultural output levels to 6 percent, a record at the time. By raising output levels, inflation was prevented from rising to double digit levels, he said, adding that the inflation rate went down from 11 percent in January 1999 to 3 percent in November 1999 in large part due to the strength of the agricultural sector. Estrada lamented that the Arroyo government "is so focused on importation rather than domestic production that it is impossible for agriculture to be the means by which the country would survive the World Financial Crisis." During his visit to Negros Occidental, the former president turned over 500 bottles of fertilizer, rice threshers and hand tractors donated by his son, Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, to the Irrigators' Association. According to the BusinessWorld report, at 18.4 percent in September, the SWS' measure of hunger is now six points above a 10-year hunger average of 12.3 percent and "the latest figure was also the highest in four quarters since September 2007's record 21.5 percent." - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV