Two questions for Marcos Jr.

Responding to gentle suggestions that he should appoint a full-time agriculture secretary, President Marcos Jr. is adamant that he will hold on to the position, saying he is “still needed there.” He explains that there are things that only a president can do that a secretary cannot. The problems in the agriculture sector are “so difficult that it will take a president to change and turn it around.” The President says that he will appoint a full-time secretary when he has properly institutionalized the functions of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and he has completed the necessary structural changes.

The President has been the agriculture secretary for almost four months. In that period, there have been some revealing tests of his caliber as a leader and manager of the agricultural sector. His boast during the elections that he will bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo is now out of reach. His policy and managerial decision-making in resolving the critical sugar shortage was erratic, causing the resignation of his well-regarded undersecretary, Leaocadio Sebastian, and exposing signs of disarray in his Cabinet.

Being agriculture secretary is not a problem if there are functioning, motivated, and self-confident undersecretaries that have the “hand-in-glove” trust and confidence of the President. But no self-respecting competent undersecretary would think of being creative, innovative, and proactive, only to get the “Sebastian treatment.” What remains in DA is undersecretary Domingo Panganiban who served as deputy minister of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as early as 1984 during the dictatorship of Marcos Sr. Panganiban, at 83, is past his prime for the present challenges in Philippine agriculture.

As a matter of prudence, considering that the nation is facing food and energy crises, Filipinos, especially in media, the academe, and policy institutes, should help the President identify the key issues in agriculture and the promising initiatives that might constitute solutions.

There are many discussions of agricultural issues happening across the land. For instance, in the Future Earth Philippines Filipino SDG Hour online symposium last Friday, Dr. Ted Mendoza, an agronomist and retired professor of UP Los Baños made a provocative presentation on “Diet Change: The Filipino Answer to Climate Change and Food Shortage.” (https://youtu.be/K7z2XtNlAR0) He suggested that looking at the world situation, the grains fed to animals yearly can supply the food caloric requirements of 8.3 to 10 billion people. Reducing by 50 percent the grains fed to animals can feed 50 to 60 percent of the growing world population by 2050. His recommendation is for Filipinos to shift more toward a plant and fish-based diet for food self-sufficiency, environmental sustainability, and health reasons.

His presentation on the Philippine agricultural situation had the audience groping for answers to two imbalances—our rice shortage and the resource-carrying capacity deficit of the Philippines.

I thought these questions should properly be directed to Mr. Marcos as agriculture secretary and president, so I coached the questions accordingly:

Question 1: With a population of 115 million by 2023, the rice output per hectare to be self-sufficient should be 12.5 tons. The current yield is only 4 tons. This translates into a rice deficit of 17 percent. With the estimated 10 percent reduction in production due to cost-cutting and floods, the deficit is estimated at 27 percent, requiring the importation of 3.5 million tons per year. By 2030, with a projected population of 124 million, the Philippines will be importing 4.8 million tons of rice. What level of rice self-sufficiency should the Philippines aim for by 2030 and what creative feasible strategy would you adopt to attain this?

Question 2: Filipinos have always been told that the Philippines is rich in natural resources. If we take our population into account, this is no longer true. With an arable land area of 13.42 million hectares out of our total 30 million hectares, our ideal population should only be 33 million. We reached this threshold around 1965, 57 years ago. We have been in deficit since, and the demands of our population at present exceed threefold the carrying capacity of our land and natural resources. How would you mobilize the Filipino nation and people to redress this fundamental gap between population and resources?

Wouldn’t it be reassuring if Mr. Marcos can give us his thoughts on these questions? If he obliges, he might demonstrate he is indeed his best agriculture secretary.

[email protected]