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DENR accelerates water security initiatives
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Thursday said it will ramp up efforts to improve the country’s water supply situation, amidst lingering shortage concerns over the El Niño climate pattern and growing population demand. Aside from working with other government agencies and the private sector to identify potential sources of surface water for over 1,400 barangays at higher risk of dry spells, the DENR’s newly-created Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) is set to release an Integrated Water Resources Management Plan that will account for all water resources in the country and set directions on optimizing the use of existing supply through impoundment, treatment, and recycling. “The solution to our problems starts with fixing the disconnected and fragmented management of water by more than a dozen agencies of government,” Environment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said, noting that aside from the DENR, several other government agencies and other entities are involved in managing water resources for a variety of uses such as power generation, irrigation, and household distribution. These agencies include the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the Local Water Utilities Administration, over 500 water districts, the Laguna Lake Development Authority, and the National Water Resources Board. Aside from these, there are thousands of private water providers primarily servicing residential communities nationwide. “There are long-standing institutional issues which we now have a strong chance of solving and this unlocks some of the barriers in managing water. It also opens the possibility of coordinating projects between agencies to enter with more efficient programs like the construction of multi-use dams and reservoirs,” she added. On top of the creation of the WRMO, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said in his State of the Nation Address that his administration will give a "special focus" on improving water security, with efforts that should be "cohesive, centralized, and systematic." Around P14.6 Billion has been allocated in the 2023 national budget for water supply projects. Further, a portion of the P276 Billion flood control budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways will be repurposed for initiatives such as offline storage to address multiple needs for irrigation, power generation, industry, and domestic uses. The WRMO is a transitory body pending the creation of the Department of Water Resource Management which is covered by several bills pending before both houses of Congress, including House Bill 2880, authored by AGRI Party-list Representative Wilbert Lee, Senate Bill 1021 filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and Senate Bill 102, filed by Senator Grace Poe. Meanwhile, the National Economic and Development Authority submitted the revised draft executive version of the bill to the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office. The bill was referred to the Senate Committees on Public Services; Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation; and Finance. The post DENR accelerates water security initiatives appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Food policy: Food availability (3)
So far, I have discussed the first and second dimensions of food security which are accessibility and food utilization, respectively. Food availability refers to ensuring a steady food supply by improving domestic production, importing goods to cover production gaps, and creating buffer stocks/food banks. Food production, particularly in the agriculture and livestock sectors, requires infrastructure and financial support. The government should assist in providing efficient irrigation systems and environmentally compliant slaughterhouses to the farmers and animal breeders, respectively. According to Ivory Myka Galang’s Discussion Paper ‘Is Food Supply Accessible, Affordable and Stable? The State of Food Security in the Philippines’, “The government’s food security program was implemented to ensure the availability of food supply in mind.” As stipulated in the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997, in Section 4, food security is defined as “the policy objective, plan and strategy of meeting the food requirements of the present and future generations of Filipinos in substantial quantity, ensuring the availability and affordability of food to all, either through local production, or importation, or both based on the country’s existing and potential resources endowment and related production advantages and consistent with the overall national development objectives and policies. However, sufficiency in rice and white corn should be pursued.” Other laws aim to enhance further food production such as the Fisheries Code (1998), Philippine Technology Transfer Act (2009), Agricultural Fisheries and Mechanization Act (2013), and the Sagip Saka Act of 2019. There is also a law that aims to provide financial support to the agricultural sector such as the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act (2009). To empower the local sector, EO No. 86 s1999 created the National Council on Food Security or NCFS during President Estrada’s time. The order also created the Councils for Food Security in the Provinces, Independent Component Cities, and Highly Urbanized Cities. The NCFS is constituted to act as an overall coordinating body in the formulation of policy guidelines and master plans and programs, as well as the implementation of projects that ensure the attainment of “the national vision, mission, goals, objectives and targets of a workable and sustainable Food Security Program.” Local and institutional initiatives to support the law have been expressed in programs such as Gulayan sa Paaralan, Gulayan ng Masa, Barangay Food Terminal”, and Tindahan Natin. A more robust program was later instituted aimed to eliminate hunger such as the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program in 2007 and the recent Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger in 2020. Regarding food importation, the recent policy considers this option only as a last resort. This strategy was expressed by then DA Secretary William Dar in a press release in 2020. Recognizing the fact that in the last 30 years, the Philippine import dependency ratio has been increasing, Secretary Dar clarified that this trend occurs because the agricultural production rate could not overtake the population growth rate. As regards food buffering, PD No. 1770, issued on 14 January 1981, created the National Food Authority and one of its functions is to ensure a steady supply of the country’s basic commodities such as rice. The NFA has been mandated to perform buffering activities, particularly on rice. It is required “to maintain its warehouses” rice stocks equivalent to 15 days of consumption for the entire country. The government is keen on improving the availability of food for the people. In January this year, the President stated that “The overreaching goals of this administration are to build an inclusive society where no one is hungry, where Filipinos live long and healthy lives and where they are provided by an environment built upon trust and security and where they can be innovative, remains smart, and responsive to the problems of the day.” Plans and programs are in place to achieve and realize these goals. The only things remaining are optimism, patience and trust from the people. The post Food policy: Food availability (3) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
New Agri-Agra law aims to boost agri, fisheries sector: Palace
MANILA - The new law expanding financing for farmers and fisherfolk will give a boost to the agriculture and fisheries sector, Malacanang said.In a Facebook post, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said Republic Act (RA) 11901 would make the agricultural and fishing industries more competit.....»»
Agri-agra loans post 2-digit growth in Q1
Loans extended by domestic banks for agriculture and agrarian reform recorded a double-digit growth of 10 percent to P765.92 billion in the first quarter from P696.35 billion in the same quarter last year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas......»»
BSP backs changes to Agri-Agra Law
Further amendments to the mandated loan threshold for the agriculture and agrarian reform activities will push the country into the next stage of development post-pandemic, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas......»»
Banks pay P2 billion fines annually for agri-agra loan deficiency
Banks have been paying an average of P2 billion in fines annually to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for failing to meet the mandated loan threshold for agriculture and agrarian reform......»»
Agri-agra loans remain below threshold
Loans extended by Philippine banks for agriculture and agrarian reform slipped by 2.6 percent to P696.35 billion in September 2020 from P714.27 billion in the same period in 2019 as the industry continued to fall short of the mandated threshold for the sector......»»
Agri-Agra Law changes seen to boost farm productivity
The latest changes in the Agri-Agra Law, which mandates private banks to lend a portion of their funds to farmers, are expected to boost agricultural productivity and contribute to economic recovery......»»
Tech advancements in agri sans job threats in Date 2024
Despite the pivotal role of technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) in agricultural development, farmers and laborers in Davao Region face no immediate threat......»»
UnionDigital Bank revenue grows to over P5 billion
UnionDigital Bank, the digital banking arm of Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines, saw its revenue grow to over P5 billion in 2023 mainly driven by higher deposits and loans......»»
DTI, Go Negosyo strengthen MSME Development program
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Go Negosyo agreed to strengthen their collaboration to further develop the country’s MSMEs......»»
Asialink eyes P2.4 billion in truck loans as e-commerce grows
Asialink Finance Corp. is looking at lending as much as P2.4 billion this year to the fast growing market for brand new and used trucks that are essential to the growth of e-commerce and logistics......»»
‘Government should help exporters hurdle EU barriers’
The government must seek the removal of some trade barriers imposed by the European states to allow exporters to maximize the opportunities of the country’s prospective free trade agreement with Europe, an industry group said......»»
Public sector banks doing better in managing NPAs vis-a-vis their private counterparts: FICCI-IBA survey
New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): Public sector banks in India are doing better in comparison to their private sector counterparts in terms of non-performing assets, a survey conducted by industry body FICCI and banking association Indian Banks' Association (IBA) found. A nonperforming asset refers to loans or advances that are on the brink of default. According to the survey, a large majority (77 per cent) of the respon.....»»
27 Moro cooperatives get agri inputs from BARMM
Up to 27 large cooperatives of marginalized farmers in Bangsamoro barangays in Cotabato province, mostly former Moro secessionist guerillas, had received P11.9 million worth of farming supplies and livestock feeds from the regional autonomous government......»»
Women s Month: Oldest Filipina runner, women from all walks of life join Women s Run
Brave and bold women participated at the Women’s Run in SM Mall of Asia Complex last Sunday, celebrating women who have paved the way and have broken barriers in their careers and daily lives by being strong and fearless......»»
Interfaith groups glad that Ramadhan, Lenten Season are both occurring in March
This year’s Ramadhan among Muslims and the Lenten Season of Christians are both in March. For interfaith peace advocates, this is a reminder that religions should not set barriers but foster tolerance and understanding among believers......»»
MNLF community gets agri-aqua livelihood aid
A peace and development community of the Moro National Liberation Front in this city has received assistance to boost its agri-aqua livelihood......»»
House probe on irregular sale of NFA rice set on March 7
The House agri committee will investigate on Thursday the disadvantageous sale of 75,000 sacks of deteriorating or aging rice by the NFA......»»
P57-M road projects to spur tourism, agri dev t in 2 Negros LGUs
P57-M road projects to spur tourism, agri dev t in 2 Negros LGUs.....»»