A former member of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet threw the support of his group for presidential aspirant and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, and at the proclamation rally of the Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer explained that the candidate’s agriculture platform was one of the major reasons for the decision to back Moreno.
Former Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) secretary John Castriciones narrated:“I had the opportunity to talk with Mayor Moreno in order to ask him about his position regarding agriculture; you know my friends, this is the opportune time for us to really support this man, because he has a very clear policy when it comes to agriculture.”
Agriculture is one of the major thrusts of Moreno’s 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda, which seeks to spur economic growth in the country and provide livelihood and improved incomes for the people.
“We ought to know that agriculture is the last frontier of our survival. Now that we are experiencing the ill effects, the onslaught of the pandemic, we should try to support agriculture, because without agriculture, we will not have food sufficiency,” explained Castriciones, who also heads the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC).
The MRRD-NECC was one of the major organized groups that supported the presidential candidacy of President Duterte in 2016. Moreno campaign strategist Lito Banayo revealed that around 200 leaders of MRRD-NECC are fully behind Moreno’s candidacy, including MRRD-NECC National Capital Region chairman Bobby Diesta, Commission on Higher Education Commissioner Ronald Adamat, Interior Undersecretary Martin Diño, and Local Water Utilities Administration administrator Guiling Mamondiong.
Castriciones, who is also running for a senate seat under PDP-Laban, stressed that “this is our last hope; lahat po ng propesyon ay pwedeng tumigil, pero ang pagsasaka at agrikultura kailanman hindi dapat itigil sapagkat ito ang nagdadala ng pagkain sa ating hapag kainan.”
“In my capacity as the president of the MRRD-NECC, we manifest our strong support for the candidacy of Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso!”
Moreno’s initiatives for agriculture seek, among others, to (1) provide risk-free capital for farmers, (2) connect farmers to markets physically and digitally, (3) establish department of fisheries and aquatic resources, (4) improve efficiency of existing irrigation systems, and (5) increase the sector’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product.
Agriculture is one of the major thrusts of Moreno’s 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda, which seeks to spur economic growth in the country and provide livelihood and improved incomes for the people.
Moreno’s initiatives for agriculture seek, among others, to (1) provide risk-free capital for farmers, (2) connect farmers to markets physically and digitally, (3) establish department of fisheries and aquatic resources, (4) improve efficiency of existing irrigation systems, and (5) increase the sector’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product.
The mayor has also said that among the first economic policies his administration will implement is a 50% cut on the excise tax of petroleum products to lower the cost of food production, raise the income of farmers and fisherfolk, bring down the prices of basic commodities, and sustain food production.
