The Taguig City government becomes the newest partner of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Metro Manila implementation of the Urban Agriculture Project (UAP) under the agency’s “Plant Plant Plant Program” or “Agri 4Ps”.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano recently signed the Memorandum of Agreement for the UAP implementation at the city’s Mercado del Lago. The event was also attended by House Speaker and Taguig City–Pateros Representative Alan Peter Cayetano, Taguig Representative Maria Laarni Cayetano, and several DA officials.
“We just signed a program that would advance urban agriculture and other interventions for the City of Taguig and we will use the existing budgetary support that we have this year to start the projects that have been identified,” Dar said.
The UAP will provide interventions for crops, fisheries, and livestock from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
“Whether we like it or not, even with pandemic like COVID-19, we cannot ignore the importance of planting and other agricultural activities.”
“This is a new normal, a new environment and whether we like it or not, even with pandemic like COVID-19, we cannot ignore the importance of planting and other agricultural activities,” the agriculture chief said.
The agriculture head added that with the support of the House of Representatives led by Speaker Cayetano, the Senate, and the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte, the vision for a food-secured and resilient Philippines with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk would be realized.
“We commit to your vision and the vision of our President. Taguig City is at your service.”
“We commit to your vision and the vision of our President. Taguig City is at your service,” Mayor Cayetano said.
He also highlighted how the city supports its farmers and fisherfolk during the pandemic and the LGU’s plans for ensuring food and water security through investments in relevant infrastructure, proper land use, and supply chain arrangements with neighboring areas, among others.
Speaker Cayetano and Representative Cayetano, on the other hand, underscored the need to hit the right balance for the “probinsyudad” or rural-urban setting of Taguig for it to be a sustainable city.
According to them, agriculture is an important part of the city’s history and this connection should never be forgotten by the people of Taguig, which was then called “pook ng mga taga-giik” or place of rice threshers.