FARMERS, TRADERS, BUYERS AND THE INSATIABLE GREED

In the ideal world, farmers are supposed to make money producing food, the traders bring it to the market making a little profit for the effort and the consumers enjoy affordable food.

All three of them end up smiling and happy.

That is not the case in the real world, however.

The Food Supply Chain in the country today is controlled and even to some extent manipulated by the merchants and the traders.

It is the trader who determines how much the price of farmers produce is and it is still the trader who dictates the cost of the food in the market.

In the real world, farmers are poor and the consumers are sad as they stretch their budget for food but the traders rake in the money, ride in luxury vehicles and lead lavish lifestyle.

Here are some of the blatant anomalies in agricultural pricing and selling:

- Raw rubber prices have plunged from over P90 per kilo a few years ago to only P20 per kilo today. Yet, the price of a pick-up rubber tire has gone high to almost P10,000 per piece;

- Palay buying price is at P17.50 per kilo but good quality rice is sold at almost P40 per kilo.

- Oil Palm fresh fruit bunch (FFB) is bought at P3.60 per kilo in the Philippines but the price in Malaysia is P5.60. In spite of this, Palm Oil is still being smuggled to the Philippines;

- Hogs are bought at P90 per kilo live but pork sells as much as P150 per kilo in the market;

- Traders buy Agar-agar from seaweeds farmers for only P2 per kilo but the Cebu-based processor buy the dried carageenan for over P30 per kilo.

I could go on and on to emphasise the great increment between the money the farmers earn for their hard labor and the cost of food the consumers pay.

Government has tried its best to address this anomaly for ages now.

There is the support price for Palay and Corn and the price control in the sale of food commodities in the market to ensure that the costs do not go beyond the capacity of the consumers to buy.

These measures have largely been ineffective and this is mainly because of the greed which consumes many of the traders who have formed themselves into cartels.

So how do I intend to address this problem to deliver President Rody Duterte's promise of Available and Affordable Food?

First, the Department of Agriculture under President Duterte's leadership will support the farmers and fisherfolk to ensure that their cost of production is lower and their yield or catch is increased.

Second, there has to be a way to lessen the Middlemen's level of control in determining the buying and selling price of food commodities.

This could be done by turning farmers and fishermen into small entrepreneurs themselves giving them direct access to the market.

I have brought in an undersecretary, Pompee La Viña, whose expertise is in Entrepreneurial Management and I have tasked him to lift up the poor farmers and fishermen to the level of entrepreneurs who will sell their products directly to the consumers.

For Rubber Farmers, for example, I would like to see them grouping themselves and forming a company or corporation which would get involved with the processing of their rubber products and start the manufacturing of bicycle, motorcycle or car and pick tires at the farm level.

For the Rice Farmers, they too could be organized and given the necessary support so that they will have their own Rice Processing Centers at the Farm Level.

The Rice Farmers could then be linked up with big corporations who could buy the rice directly to be supplied to their employees.

It is not even remote that I would one day suggest to President Duterte that each government employee a monthly one sack rice allowance and the rice would be bought directly from farmers groups.

The message of this post to the Traders is this: I understand your business but do not be too greedy.

Stop squeezing the farmers and fisherfolk dry and making life hard for the consumers.

Just remember this, we have a President who thinks out of the box.

If you cannot control your greed, you may end up holding an empty sack.

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RICE SUFFICIENCY IS A MUST BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE - Jessica Soho's SONA

State of the Nation is a nightly newscast anchored by award-winning broadcast journalist, Jessica Soho.

During an interview on GMA News TV's "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho", Piñol rejected the suggestion that the Philippines should continue importing rice because it is cheaper and that farmers barely earn anything from the crop.

“Iyong ganyang pananaw, Jessica, na mag-import na lang tayo, pananaw ng isang tamad iyan na ayaw na mag-isip. Ang problema natin ngayon, meron tayong realidad, iyong climate change. Noong araw, ganoon din ang pananaw ko, ‘Sige lang, ‘di bale, mag-import lang tayo ng bigas. Magtanim tayo ng rubber, saging, pinya, at kung ano-ano pang mga high-value crops. Kung may pera tayo, mag-iimport tayo,’” he said.

“But the problem now is climate change. Tinamaan tayo ng El Niño. Tinamaan ang Vietnam. Tinamaan ang Thailand. All of these countries are already vulnerable to climate change.”

“What if one day, tayong lahat tinamaan ng El Niño, saan tayo kukuha ng bigas? So it is now a must. It’s no longer a choice eh. It’s a must that we must produce our own food. It is a must that we produce enough rice for the country kasi ganyan ang katotohanan ngayon eh. We can do it,” Piñol added.

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MINDORO GETS FIRST TASTE OF NEW GOVERNANCE STYLE

Duterte Delivers

Mindoro, the large island just off the coast of Batangas with vast agriculture and fisheries potentials, gets a first taste of the governance style of President Rody Duterte when the Department of Agriculture holds its first “Tapatan: Gobyerno at Masa.”

Unlike the usual government caucuses, however, the Mindoro engagement will be marked by the delivery of machineries and equipment, including motorized small fishing boats which were requested during my earlier visit to the island last month.

Three weeks ago, shortly after President Duterte named me as his Agriculture Secretary, I launched a nation-wide journey which I called “Biyaheng Bukid” which brought me to the two provinces of Mindoro.

I saw the vast potentials of Mindoro especially in rice production because of its water resources flowing from the mountain ranges of Mt. Halcon which separates Occidental from Oriental Mindoro.

In my informal talks with the farmers and fisherfolk, I found out that somehow they felt that it was very difficult to ask for help from government and that if assistance ever came, it took a long while before it is delivered.

So on July 6, after my engagement in Los Baños, Laguna with the rice sector stakeholders, I will proceed to Mindoro by taking the fast craft from Batangas Port.

I will proceed to a Mangyan community and hold a face-to-face consultation with members of the tribe who have largely been marginalized and neglected.

Actually, my decision to spend the night in Barangay Matula-tula, Pola town was spurred by the conversation I had with a Mangyan farmer who waited for me in Magsaysay town until 9 p.m. just to tell me what they wanted to get from government.

You know what he asked me? Just a road leading to the village, work animals and seeds.

I was touched because I have heard that same story many times before when I was Governor of North Cotabato.

His story is the story of many other poor Filipinos dreaming of the day when government would be able to touch their lives.

These are the people who are not even aware that while it may seem to be farfetched dream to have a road built leading to their village, thieves in government count their loot by the billions of pesos.

On Wednesday night, I will tell them that President Duterte cares for them and he will deliver his promise of change.

The following day, I will proceed to Bongabong town in Oriental Mindoro and meet with farmers and fisherfolk.

The DA still has some tractors, fishing boats and irrigation water pumps left in its inventory and these will be turned over to the beneficiaries who have already been identified.

To correct the practice in the past of indiscriminate distribution of equipment, the units which will be released to the beneficiaries on July 7 will be geo-tagged and the names of the farmers who will receive these will be included in a data base which DA will keep.

I have also asked the teams preparing for my first rural sortie who make sure that the needed orientation and social preparations for the beneficiaries are conducted.

Many in the DA will certainly need a lot of adjustments to this new style of governance.

But this is the Duterte style. He wants every Filipino to feel that he is part of government and he would like to see that government services are delivered, not promised.

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THE STORY OF GOATS WHICH GOT MY GOAT

In my recent visit to the Small Ruminants Centre in the Central Luzon State University in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, I saw a pitiful sight of a young student trying to squeeze the udder an old dairy goat who hardly gave a liter of milk.

The old dairy goat was one of the thousands brought into the country from the United States under a US government program called PL480 aimed at helping the dairy industry in the Philippines.

The US government granted hundreds of millions of pesos in a sincere effort to improve the dairy industry which as of now produces only 1% of the total milk requirements of the country.

But corruption again got in the way of this wonderful program which could have made money for the small farmers.

Instead of buying pedigreed goats which would improve the genetics of the local goats in the country, old goats discarded by many dairy farmers in the US were included in the shipment.

The goat merchants have been doing this for many years now and have been raking in money to the disadvantage of both the U.S. taxpayers who are spending for the program and the Filipino farmers who are supposed to benefit from it.

These goat merchants, however, have a problem with me.

A few days from now, I will be taking over the Department of Agriculture, the agency which is handling the implementation of PL 480 through one of its bureaus, the Animal Industry.

Their problem is that I am a goat raiser and I know what a good dairy goat is. In fact, I could identify the breed of a dairy goat by just looking at its features.

Not only that. I know most of the outstanding dairy got breeders in the U.S. and I know that many of the goats brought to the country did not come from them or are discards from small dairy farms.

In my most recent quick trip to the U.S., I went up to Klamath Falls in Oregon near the border of California to visit a dairy farm started by my American friend Jim Clem.

Jim now has about 400 dairy goats composed mainly of Anglo-Nubians and La Manchas.

His most outstanding La Mancha milker produces as much as 6.5 litres in one day for eight months of the year.

Now, compare that with that old dairy goat I saw in the Small Ruminants Centre in CLSU which hardly filled a 1 litre bottle of Coke.

In Jim's dairy farms, he discards goats which produce less than three litres a day because he says it is a waste of time raising them.

I know there is supposed to be another shipment of dairy goats from the U.S. worth over P100-M.

I will make sure that this shipment now will not include old and discarded dairy goats.

As for those which have already been shipped into the country, I will order an immediate inventory of the goats and check whether these are really producing milk or not.

If they are not, then the merchants and those responsible for the purchase of these goats will be held accountable.

This culture of corruption has got to stop.

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LGBT Group Accuse Police of Failing to Serve and Protect

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the Philippines face extortion, violence and rape when seeking help from the police and do not trust law enforcement officers to protect them, a rights group said.

A report detailing police abuses against LGBT people says police officers often assume that gay men and transgender women are sex workers, and deny assistance to them.

It also noted police bias in domestic violence cases involving lesbian couples, in which the more “butch” partner is automatically assumed to be the perpetrator.

“It is really bad because you don’t see the police as an institution where you can get protection,” said Ging Cristobal, author of the report and prominent Filipina activist working with New York-based rights group OutRight Action International.

“The motto of Philippines National Police is ‘to serve and protect’, but in terms of the information we get, it’s exactly the opposite,” she said in a Skype interview from Manila.

Philippines Police Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor said police are instructed to respect all people, regardless of race, religion and gender.

“We do not discriminate against the LGBT community in our police operations, in making arrests or in assisting them in whatever way the police could,” he said.

“We have a human rights office that helps the leadership craft policies and operational procedures that protect and respect human rights, not only for the LGBT but for all people, especially the accused,” he added.

The report said a lack of guidelines on dealing with LGBT people in the Philippines police’s operational handbook means officers are “left to use their personal judgment” when frisking, making arrests and detaining LGBT people.

Transgender women may be patted down by male officers and detained in male cells without consideration for their safety. Transgender men may be groped to see if they have breasts, though some have not have had a mastectomy, Cristobal said.

The report said one gay man went to police after being raped was laughed at and asked, “Isn’t that what you want?”

In another case, a gay man was picked up for sex by an officer, who ordered him to perform oral sex, then robbed him of his watch and money, the report said.

The victim reported the incident to his brother, an officer in another city, and the offending policeman was arrested to face charges of rape, robbery and usurpation of authority, it said.

LGBT people who have kept their sexual orientation or gender identity secret from family, school authorities, friends and colleagues are vulnerable to police extortion, the study said.

Yet many abuses go unreported.

“No one wants to file a complaint against police because they can’t trust police will conduct an investigation against co-police officers, so impunity happens,” Cristobal said.

The report called for the Philippines National Police to amend its operations handbook to include specific procedures for sensitive handling of LGBT people, particularly during body searches and detention.

It also recommends that police academies teach students about issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.

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PDG. Ricardo Marquez Advises Police to Continue Good Performance inspite of Reshuffle

“I’m thinking of placing someone who could deliver. You have the right place for the right position for you to contribute to the attainment of our three to six months target,” said incoming PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa.

The incoming PNP Chief is very vocal about his plans of re-organization in the Philippine National Police as soon as he assumes position.

First of his priorities is to minimize crime and illegal drug activities in the country in the first three to six months in office.

This prompted PDir. Victor Deona, who still has six months in service, to express his views on the matter given only.

“I may not know where will I go. I might be in limbo before I retire in December,” Deona said.

Since the pressure of three to six months target is up, Gen. Dela Rosa is asking the support of all policemen.

“Just let me do first what I want to do to attain our target of three to six months. After that, that’s the time I would entertain you. Only six months,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa says re-organization is normal in the ranks of the national police plus, the compensation remains the same for a police wherever he may be assigned.

“When you’re relieved from your present post, would you lose a bit of your salary? you still have your salary. So, why worry?” Dela Rosa explained.

For his part, Dir. Deona has this message for the incoming police chief.

“We cannot really make things perfect but we can make things right. We cannot do everything but we can do something.”

Nevertheless, outgoing PNP Chief PDG. Ricardo Marquez advises his men to carry on with their good performance wherever their assignment takes them.

“Hold on to their dreams. Let us not forget the values of public service. Wherever we may be assigned, there is no insignificant assignment when it comes to public service,” PDG. Marquez said in a statement.

 

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Pimentel and Cayetano Set to Talk About Senate Presidency

Majority of the senators agree that senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Koko Pimentel should sit and talk over the senate leadership.

According to Senator-elect Juan Miguel Zubiri, the two senators are set to discuss the issue.

“I was talking to Senator Koko on Monday last week and his commitment to me is to reach out to Alan after his meeting with Duterte,” Zubiri told reporters.

Zubiri believes that the two senators should reconcile considering that they are both supporting the legislative agenda of incoming president Rodrigo Duterte.

“I hope that they talk. One can be senate president while the other can be senate president pro-tempore. Then, they can always do a swap later on. Let them discuss it among themselves,” Zubiri stated.

Senator-elect Joel Villanueva also confirmed the upcoming meeting between Pimentel and Cayetano.

“The last time I spoke with Senator Koko, he said he and Senator Alan are set to talk together with President-elect Digong.”

Sen. Koko has the numbers unless something happened.

Pimentel once said that 17 senators have signified support his bid as the next senate president.

But for some senators, they are still weighing things on who to support.

“They’re both my friends. Senator Alan Cayetano was the first one who talked to me. But Senator Koko Pimentel and I have also talked about the matter,” said Sen. JV Ejercito.

“I’m still hoping that there is still time for them to reconcile before the 17th congress formally opens,” he added.

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Official Southeast Asian Islamic State Unit Being Formed in Southern Philippines

Southeast Asian militants who claim to be fighting for Islamic State in the Middle East have said they have chosen one of the most wanted men in the Philippines to head a regional faction of the ultra-radical group, security officials said on Thursday.

The claim was made in a video that was recently posted on social media, possibly last week, a military intelligence official in the Philippines told Reuters.

The video is significant, experts say, because it shows that Islamic State supporters are now being asked to stay home and unify under one umbrella group to launch attacks in Southeast Asia, instead of being drawn to the fight in the Middle East.

Authorities in the region have been on heightened alert since Islamic State claimed an attack in the Indonesian capital Jakarta in January in which eight people were killed, including four of the attackers.

In the 20-minute video seen by Reuters, young men and some children in military fatigues are shown carrying and training with weapons, and holding Islamic State flags. A section of the video showed some of these men engaging in gunbattles in jungles but it was not clear where and with whom.

The video also showed three men apparently being executed, but it was not clear where and who they were.

The authenticity of the video and when it was taken could not be independently verified.

In the video, a man authorities in Malaysia have identified as Mohd Rafi Udin, a Malaysian militant currently in Syria, says in Malay: “If you cannot go to (Syria), join up and go to the Philippines.”

In the video, Udin also urges Muslims to unite under the leadership of Abu Abdullah, a Philippine militant leader who pledged allegiance to Islamic State in January.

Abu Abdullah, also known as Isnilon Hapilon, is a leader of the Philippine militant group Abu Sayyaf. He is on the FBI’s most wanted list for his role in the kidnapping of 17 Filipinos and three Americans in 2001 and carries a bounty of $5 million.

The video was released to mark Islamic State’s acceptance of allegiances from jihadists in the Philippines, the first formal recognition of a Southeast Asian group, said Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, chief of Malaysia’s police counter-terrorism unit.

“This video is not just propaganda, but is a serious threat. We are definitely expecting more attacks in this region,” Pitchay told Reuters.

Hapilon is known to be based in the interior hills of the island of Basilan in the Mindanao region of the southern Philippines. In April, at least 18 Philippine soldiers were killed and 53 wounded in an attack on his followers on the island.

KIDNAP GANG

For decades, Abu Sayyaf has been known for extortion, kidnappings, beheadings and bombings, and is one of the most brutal Muslim rebel factions in the south of the largely Christian Philippines.

The group has posted videos on social media sites this year pledging allegiance to Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

The latest video appears aimed at recognizing Hapilon as the Southeast Asian leader of the group, anti-terrorism experts said.

“I think this is a very significant video,” said Sidney Jones, a Jakarta-based security expert. “This acknowledges support from Indonesia and Malaysia.”

“It suggests there will be more efforts to get people to actually go to Mindanao to launch operations from there.”

The Jakarta attacks in January were claimed by Islamic State. But the attack did not bear the hallmarks of other spectacular strikes by the radical group – the militants lacked sophisticated weaponry and were amateurish in the execution.

Some security officials fear a more organized and better trained militant group could launch far deadlier attacks in the region.

But Philippine military officials dismissed these concerns, saying the video was just propaganda and should be ignored.

“People should not be bothered by this,” said Philippine military spokesman Restituto Padilla “Authorities are working on this. They can be identified, and they can be hunted down.”

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Abu Sayyaf Group Releases Filipina Victim "Marites Flor" Hostage Nabbed on Samal Island

Marites Flor, the Filipina hostage taken by the Abu Sayyaf group arrived at the Davao City Police Office this afternoon together with incoming Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza.

Flor was presented to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte after the change of command ceremony held by PNP Davao.

Duterte said there will come a day when he will face the bandits.

“I really do not want any arguments with anybody. But there will be a time. I just don’t want to say when. That I will have to confront Abu Sayyaf,” Duterte said on his speech.

Flor expressed her gratitude to all those who supported and helped her.

“Everything is fine with me now because I was able to be freed and alive at that. I want to thank those who helped me. To Sir Jes Dureza, To Gov. Sakur Tan and to President Rodrigo Duterte,” Flor said emotionally.

Incoming Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza said, there were no negotiations that transpired. He also did not comment if there were any ransom given.

He said, Sulu Governor Sakur Tan was one of those who made Flor’s release possible.

Flor is one of ASG’s kidnap victims on Samal island in September 2015 together with Canadians Robert Hall and John Ridsdel who were both killed by the rebel group.

However, Norweigan Kjartan Sekkingstad is believed to be still with the ASG.

Dureza said, Norweigan officials asked President-elect Duterte to help with the release of Sekkingstad.

“The Norweigan foreign minister and Pres-elect Duterte talked when he was in Oslo, on the phone. And he has earnest request for President-elect Duterte for the release of the Norwegian and the other hostage,” Dureza said.

Meanwhile, incoming president Duterte warns anew against police officials who are involved in illegal drugs.

This was among the agenda of the incoming president’s speech on Davao PNP Pffice Grounds today.

Duterte explained why he is in favor of bringing back death penalty in the country.

Duterte is not worried about death threats he has been receiving brought about by his campaign against criminality and illegal drugs.

He also expressed his dismay over reports that there are illegal drugs found in big jails.

Duterte asserted that he will push his campaigns just like he promised to the Filipino people.

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A man from Florida Brags about Burglary on Facebook, Lands him in Jail

A Florida burglar who posted a Facebook video bragging about a $500,000 jewelry haul has landed himself and one of his accomplices in jail, police said on Thursday.

Officers from Pinecrest, Florida said they arrested Raderius Glenn Collins, 18, after he uploaded the video to Facebook on May 27. His friend, Marcus Terrell Parker, 27, was arrested after another burglary on June 9, police said.

They are still searching for a third suspect, who is seen in the video in the passenger seat of the car flashing $100 bills to the camera.

The video, which runs more than seven minutes long and has over 3,000 views, showed the men bragging about their illegal earnings, exclaiming: “We got a safe” and “Can someone say check please?”

The man in the driver’s seat makes sure the traffic light is still red and proceeds to proudly reveal his bag of cash to the camera while the other two men cheer.

The burglars stole a safe from a home with jewelry valued at more than $500,000. Police say Collins and Parker later burglarized a second home and stole jewelry valued at more than $10,000 and a screwdriver that would later tie one of the arrested men to the burglary.

One of the arrested subjects told police that he and the other two subjects sold the stolen jewelry to a jewelry and watch shop and received $1,300 each in return.

Michelle Hammontree, communications director for Pinecrest, told Reuters that the Facebook video helped police establish a link between the burglary and the jewelry store, where the suspects pawned their ill-gotten goods. The bag featured in the video is the same one given to the suspects at the store.

“It was just one dumb decision after another,” Hammontree said.

Police said that while they are seeking a third suspect in the May 27 burglary, it is unclear whether he had involvement in the second break-in.

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Hail Storms Kill at Least 78 People in Eastern China - Tornado

A tornado, hail storms and driving rain killed at least 78 people and injured some 500 in eastern China on Thursday, flattening power lines, overturning cars and ripping roofs off houses in Jiangsu province.

The storm struck mid-afternoon near Yancheng city, a few hours’ drive north of China’s commercial capital, Shanghai, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

Winds of 125 km per hour (78 mph) battered several townships in Funing county, the official Xinhua news agency said.

“I heard the gales and ran upstairs to shut the windows,” Funing resident Xie Litian, 62, told Xinhua.

“I had hardly reached the top of the stairs when I heard a boom and saw the entire wall with the windows on it torn away.” When the storm subsided and Xie escaped, all the neighboring houses were gone.

“It was like the end of the world,” Xie said.

Of the roughly 500 hurt about 200 have serious injuries. Power and communications are down in some areas and emergency supplies, including 1,000 tents, have been rushed to the scene, the civil affairs ministry said in a statement.

Pictures posted online showed injured people lying amid destroyed houses, overturned cars, split tree trunks and broken power lines.

The summer often brings severe weather to China. Severe floods in the south killed at least 22 people and left 20 missing earlier this week.

Last June, a freak storm led to the sinking of a Yangtze River cruise ship that killed 442 people, many of them elderly tourists. Only 12 people survived when the Eastern Star capsized in what was China’s worst shipping disaster in seven decades.

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Phi Government, Rebels to Cease Hostilities to Aid Peace Talks

The Philippines and communist guerrillas are planning to each declare ceasefires before formal peace talks resume next month in Norway, the first in 30 years, government and rebels negotiators said on Tuesday.

The Philippines has been talking on and off since 1986 with the National Democratic Front, the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, to end nearly 50 years of conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people.

The process stalled four years ago, when Manila declined to free political prisoners.

“After we resume talks formally, we declare a unilateral ceasefire,” Silvestre Bello, the incoming labor minister and a peace negotiator, told reporters in the southern region of Davao, days after returning from informal talks with exiled rebel leaders in Oslo.

Both sides agreed to resume talks in Norway after the incoming government of Rodrigo Duterte offered to free about 20 jailed rebel negotiators and some ailing political prisoners. Hopes are high that Duterte’s cordial relations with the rebels could bolster any peace deal.

“It is possible we will have a separate but coordinated and simultaneous ceasefire with the government,” Luis Jalandoni, a rebel negotiator, told Reuters by telephone from his base in Utrecht, Netherlands.

“We will still discuss the mode and timeframe of the truce, but we can easily agree to a simultaneous ceasefire.”

Bello said he expected the truce to be in place before Duterte attends a joint session of Congress for his first State of the Nation address on July 25.

The two sides had agreed to a ceasefire in 1986 but it ended two months later when police opened fire at protesting farmers near the presidential palace, killing 13 people.

Bello said a third party, a foreign country, may be asked to monitor the ceasefire implementation.

He said the government expected peace talks to run for nine to 12 months and reach agreement on key economic, social, political and electoral reforms, including land reform and nationalization of some industries.

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Private Media Not Allowed at President Duterte inauguration on June 30

Private media organizations are prohibited from covering the inauguration of President–elect Rodrigo Duterte at Malacañang on June 30.

The reason for this is not enough space, since the venue can only accommodate 500 guests.

However, other media organizations will be allowed to hook-up with Radio TV Malacañang (RTVM) and PTV 4.

Meanwhile, incoming Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said, the name of the presidential communications group will be shortened to Presidential Communications Office or PCO from the longer Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) for easier recall.

PCO is the agency that manages all media entities of the incoming administration, such as Radyo Ng Bayan and Philippine Information Agency among others.

The communications group will be absorbing Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office which is a separate office under the Aquino administration.

According to Andanar, the PCO secretary and spokesperson will report to the president, while Andanar will take care of reporting administrative work to cabinet members.

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Pres Rody Duterte Heart Touching Plans for Overseas Filipino Workers

PRESIDENT-elect Rodrigo Duterte reiterated Monday his promise to put up a separate department for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).



In a televised news conference in Davao City, Duterte proposed to use the old Post Office building in Manila as the headquarters for his planned OFW department, which would become a one-stop shop for OFWs.

Since very few people now send letters via the snail-mail, Duterte said, he would convert the Post Office into “something very functional, very useful to the Filipinos.”

Duterte, known for streamlining government processes in Davao City, said he hated to see Filipinos lining up for long hours for public services.

Duterte also promised to crack down on illegal recruiters, saying he “will create a special unit, maybe [it will be called] Criminal Information Service.”

“Lahat ng illegal recruiters, hindi na kailangang may biktima pa. I will order the arrest of all recruiters operating without the proper permit,” he said.

 

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Pres Rody Duterte Must Clean The Dirty Politicians In The Philippines

Only in the Philippines can politics really get dirty. And I don’t mean character assassinations and below-the-belt attacks against political opponents. These practices are also fairly common in other democracies. Just watch and listen to Donald Trump.

What makes the Philippines unique is the amount of garbage, literally, that is generated before, during, and after the political season.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported recently that it collected tons and tons of trash – consisting of illegally placed campaign posters. Same was true in other capitals outside Metro Manila where the Comelec and their deputies tore down oversized tarpaulins, streamers, and similar materials from trees, electric posts, and about anywhere else where they were not supposed to be.

But if you think that’s a lot, just wait for the official campaign period for local officials and congressmen to begin a few weeks from now. By then, potential trash materials will not only be generated by presidentiables, vice-presidentiables, and senatoriables.

A hundred times or perhaps a thousand times more would be coming from hopefuls seeking their political fortunes as provincial governors, vice governors, board members, mayors, vice mayors, councilors – and honorable congressmen.

In the past, any flat surface (such as walls and fences) was prime target for paper posters and stickers. Supporters of candidates would compete for premium spaces (usually in town plazas) by posting on top of an opponent’s poster. The overlay competition was done on a daily and even hourly basis so that by the end of the week, the layers and layers of posters would become so thick that they would simply peel off due to sheer weight.

Leaflets and flyers are also significant trash generators. Going to their precincts, most voters have to walk through piles of litter which are often deliberately scattered by overzealous campaigners.

Expect the Comelec and their deputized government units to put up a token effort of taking down illegal posters. But that’s about it. We have read about a few candidates being penalized for excessive spending. But we still have to come across a case of any candidate being prosecuted for over-sized and/or illegally placed campaign materials.

After the elections, nobody among those who were directly or (as the Senate committee puts it ) ultimately responsible for all these garbage ever cleans up. In Metro Manila, everybody expects MMDA Chair Emerson Carlos to collect the thrash.

National artist for literature F. Sionil Jose has written essays which he compiled into books entitled: “Why We Are Hungry” and “Why We Are Poor.” I would not be surprised if the national artist, who is still very mentally active in his 90s, comes out with another volume entitled: “Why We Are Dirty.”

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PRES RODY DUTERTE SIMPLE CEREMONIES TO TAKE OATH WITH ONLY 500 GUESTS

Simple ceremonies

By Manny Piñol

True to his commitment that he will not squander people's money for lavish celebrations, Rodrigo Roa Duterte will be sworn in by a Supreme Court Justice as the country's 16th President with only 500 officials and guests invited to Malacañang.

President-elect Duterte, during the last meeting of the cabinet secretaries-designate, told us that we all have to come by our lonesome and that we could not bring any member of our family because of the lack of space.

"I'm sorry but I cannot invite many people to my inauguration because the space in Malacañang could only accommodate 500 people," he told us.

He said the guest list would include people very close to him and those who helped him during the campaign.

Members of the diplomatic corps would be among the 500 people who will witness the Presidential inauguration.It's final: Only 150 guests for Duterte's inauguration

The simple oath taking ceremony preferred by the President was confirmed by special assistant Christopher "Bong" Go, in an interview with Sun.Star Davao Saturday night.

"Limited space lang. Sorry to all the supporters na hindi pwedeng makapunta. The mayor (President-elect) would only like to have a very simple inauguration. Ayaw niya ng magastos," Go said in a story by Ivy C. Tejano.

Here are parts of Tejano's report which appeared in Sun.Star Davao today."

"He added that Duterte does not want to burden people with the heavy traffic on the day of his inauguration since it is on a Thursday, a regular working day for the majority.

"Go said he has been meeting with his staff to finalize the preparation for Duterte's inauguration.
He added that the guests will include retired generals and diplomats.

"Ordinaryong pagkain lang. The mayor wants his inauguration very simple. The food will be served before he takes his oath after that, wala na. Main reason was his campaign promise," Go said.

"Duterte will take his oath before the Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes at Rizal Ceremonial Hall in Malacañang before delivering a speech on his plans and policies.

"Go said Duterte will be wearing a Barong Tagalog made of cotton."

Traditionally, incoming Philippine Presidents hold their inauguration at the Quirino Grandstand in the Rizal Park (formerly Luneta) witnessed by thousands.

During the presidential campaign, however, Duterte promised that his inauguration will be simple.

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PRES. DUTERTE TO TOUCH LIVES OF POOR, FORGOTTEN, NEGLECTED

By Manny Piñol

The greatest challenge that the administration of President Rody Duterte faces is the very high expectation of the Filipino people.

The 16-million Filipinos who voted for him, including those whose votes were credited for somebody else, are hoping to see real change coming soon.

In the Department of Agriculture which I will lead, I have already laid down a plan on what to do during the first 100 days.

This roadmap was crafted after the rigorous nation-wide journey called the Biyaheng Bukid which, except for a few remaining island provinces, brought me to almost all parts of the country.

What did I learn from Biyaheng Bukid?

There is pervasive poverty in the agriculture and fisheries sector. In Mindoro island, I met fishermen who were renting bancas just to be able to catch fish.

In Tarlac, right in the front yard of the incumbent president, farmers are still using carabaos and crude farming methods.

There is so much potential in both fields but the DA has lost focus spending huge government resources on programs which are not essential to food production.

There is so much idle lands and so much water flowing through the rivers. In fact, we have 247 large rivers which cuold be used for water supply.

The agricultural statistics gathering vital to effective planning is flawed.

The country’s agriculture and fisheries sector is very poor in research and development. So much money is wasted on trainings with virtually no results.

Technology transfer and information dissemination, especially farmers’ access to vital data, are markedly poor.

The country could achieve rice sufficiency in two to three years but we have to implement massive interventions i.e. repair and rehab of existing irrigation facilities; use of water pumps in areas with shallow water level; support of high-yielding seeds, fertilizers and farm inputs for the next two cropping seasons; idenification of key rice production areas where water is readily available.

There is great potential for high value crops, especially in coconut production areas where these could be intercropped i.e. coffee, cacao, abaca.

I talked to Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) officials and I was assured we could plant 600,000 hectares to coconut over the next six years based on their available seedlings.

The country could be self-sufficient with beef, pork, chicken but there has been to a massive development in the farming sector which produces feed materials like corn, soya and even malunggay.

With support from government, the country's high value crops sector could bring in much-needed foreigh exchange and create jobs in the countryside.

There is a disconnect between agencies diretly or indirectly involved in food security i.e. DA and DENR in relation to identification of watershed areas for protection to ensure sustainable agriculture and mining permits in areas where agriculture could be affected.

The agriculture and fisheries sector registered a negative performance of -4.4% during the first quarter of this year.

There is an urgent need for life-saving efforts to lift up farmers and fishermen and those who depend on agriculture for their livelihood and business.

So, for the first 100 days of the Duterte Presidency, the Department of Agriculture will undertake the following measures:

- Nation-wide orientation and mind setting for all officials and employees of the DA to ensure that they are guided on the priorities of the Duterte Presidency in agriculture and fisheries and the road map for the mission to provide Available and Affordable Food for the Filipinos is clearly explained;

-Cash for work program for farmers and fishermen affected by the El Niño. Work includes manual repair and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities for farmers and cleaning of coastal waters of garbage and planting of mangrove trees for fisherfolk;

- Start of the national mapping to determine which crop or agricultural activity would be best in a specific area based on geographic, climatic and soil type conditions. President Duterte calls this the Color-coded Agriculture Guide Map;

- Start of the National Food Consumption Quantification Survey whcih would determine what kind of food and the volume of food commodities consumed by the Filipinos. This would also project the food consumption of the country in relation to population growth;

- Nation-wide inspection of irrigation services, dredging of silted dams and provision of shallow tube wells to ensure sufficient supply of water for the next rice planting season;

- Support in the form seeds, fertilizers, farm inputs two planting seasons in the form of calamity assistance;

- For the fisherfolk, distribution of fishing boats and nets;

- Nation-wide face-face interaction between the DA secretary and the stakeholders in the agriculture and fishery sectors to address their concerns;

- Project Management Teams will also be organised in coordination with the local government units of the country's 10 Poorest Provinces to ensure that the DA's food production program would also result in Poverty Alleviation;

- A special project titled Pagkain Para sa Masa will be launched in Metro Manila establishing arrozcaldo feeding stations to ensure that the street dwellers and the homeless will not go to sleep on an empty stomach. This project will be implemented jointly with the Dept. of Health, Dept. of Social Welfare and Development and the LGUs in Metro Manila.

Pagkain Para sa Masa will serve as the first step towards ensuring that the street dwellers, urban poor and the homeless will be identified and later trained for vegetable growing using the Israel Green House technology;

- Another special project, the Bantay Dagat, will engage the Badjaos in cleaning the waters of coastal communities to make them productive;

- In cooperation and coordination with the DOH, DSWD and Dept. of Educaton, the DA will also spearhead the launching of a community-based milk feeding program in areas where farmers are involved in dairy production.

- In preparation for the La Niña which is expected to hit the country by November or December 2016, the DA secretary will direct the Philippine Crop insurance Corp. to include in the crop insurance program farmers in the high risk areas.

- The National Food Authority (NFA) will also be directed to pre-position sufficient rice and food supplies in areas expected to be affected by La Niña.

- Inter-agency connectivity between the DA and the Bureau of Customs will also be established during the first 100 days of President Duterte to ensure that the smuggling of rice, meat products and other agricultural products like Onion, Garlic and even Ginger will stop.

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PRESIDENT DUTERTE ORDERS: GIVE COCO FUNDS TO FARMERS

An emotional issue

By Manny Piñol

The country's coconut farmers can now heave a sigh of relief.

Last night, in his second meeting with the cabinet secretaries-designate, President-elect Rody Duterte directed incoming presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo to start the effort to ensure that the coconut levy funds are released to the country's farmers.

"This is an emotional issue for the coconut farmers, including my late mother. The coconut levy funds should be given to the farmers," President Duterte told the members of his incoming cabinet.

The President made the directive after I requested him to make a policy statement on the coconut levy funds because I have been receiving a lot of questions on the issue.

"I am directing Atty. Panelo to look into this matter and make sure that the coconut levy funds are released to the farmers," he said.

During the report I made, I also informed President Duterte that I have talked to officials of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) for a 6-year coconut planting program to cover 600,000 hectares.

I was assured by PCA officials that the agency and its stakeholders are capable of producing planting materials to cover the 600,000-hectares of new coconut areas in the country.

In the project proposal which I personally drafted called the COPRA or Coconut Productivity and Rehabilitation Agenda, the massive replanting of coconut in the country is aimed at regaining the Philippines' status as the No. 1 coconut producer in the world.

To enable farmers to have access to the program, the coconut seedlings, including fertilisers and irrigation equipment will be granted on a soft loan or plant now pay later scheme.

The coconut planting program will be coupled with the introduction of secondary crops like abaca, cacao, coffee and black pepper.

Thousands of jobs are projected to be generated by this program which would result in greater economic activities in the countryside.

With the expected release of the coconut levy funds to the real owners and the start of the massive national coconut planting program, the coconut industry is expected to regain its reputation as one of the country's biggest foreign exchange earners for the country.

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Pres Rody Duterte Promises Free irrigation for Farmers

“Anybody in government who does not share President Duterte’s vision for the Filipino farmer is free to leave and find another job,” I told Shyla Francisco of Bloomberg TV PH.

By Manny Piñol

People in government who still do not know President Duterte’s character better read this.


When Duterte makes a commitment, it is a promise which must be fulfilled and i as his alter ego in the agriculture department will make sure that it will be realized.What got my goat last night was the fact that the issue of the Presidential promise of free irrigation was already discussed during the transition meeting I had with the heads of the four agencies under the Office of the President on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (OPAFSAM) which was also attended by outgoing Presidential Adviser Edel Guiza.In fact, I remember clearly telling NIA Administrator Wencie Padernal to come up with a strategy on how to ensure that the Presidential promise is fulfilled.

“The issue of free irrigation for the Filipino farmers is a Presidential commitment and it is non-negotiable. Find a way to make sure it is implemented by 2017,” I remembered telling Padernal.

To hear a statement from the NIA questioning that commitment is not only irritating but also a manifestation of the malady afflicting people in government – that is the failure to think outside the box to help people.

“Kung gusto, maraming paraan; Kung ayaw, maraming dahilan,” goes an old Pilipino saying.

There is really something wrong with the way the NIA is being managed right now.

Many of its top officials may have forgotten that the reason why there is a NIA is because government would like to produce food for the Filipino people by providing irrigation.

There are people in government who think that they are bigger and higher than the people they are supposed to serve.

When I was in Cagayan Valley last week, I received a complaint from Dept. of Agriculture regional director Jun Alviar that the NIA in Region 2, in spite of repeated requests from the farmers, has failed to release the water to irrigate the farms.

The early release of water is very critical because of the threat of La Niña by November. It is a must that the rice farmers are able to plant by July.

In my exasperation, I told Alviar to relay to the NIA director my request for him to release the water as requested by the farmers or else my first official act as Secretary of Agriculture by July 1 will be to fire him.

I hope people in government now, especially those who will work with me in the agriculture department and its attached agencies, will understand this – we are here not to lord it over the people but to serve them.

If you find this hard to understand and difficult to implement, I will place a big garbage can in front of my office on July 1.

You could throw in your resignation letters in that trash can and leave government.

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Still Boycott "No Media Allowed to cover the Oath-taking of President Rody Duterte

Like what the President-Elect decided before, most of the media are still not allowed to cover any events of Duterte even the Presidential Inauguration of the first Mindanaoan President.

According to some sources, PTV and few selected people are only allowed to cover the Inauguration of President-Elect Rody Duterte in Rizal Hall Malacanang Palace.

Facebook also offered a live stream service to the President-Elect so his supporters can watch the oath-taking of the Rody Duterte in Malacanang.

The limited space of the Rizal Hall is one of the reason why people who only Duterte really knows in personal are invited in the said event.

Supporters of Rody Duterte may gather in Luneta Park to celebrate the landslide victory of the Punisher.

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Cavaliers’ James named Most Valuable Player of NBA Finals

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals following his team’s 93-89 championship-clinching win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

For James, who was the catalyst behind his Cavs’ remarkable rally from a 3-1 series deficit, it marks the third time he has captured the award after winning it with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.

“I gave it everything that I had. I poured my heart, my blood, my sweat and my tears into this game,” an emotional James said, who after the game.

James nearly single-handedly carried the Cavs back into the series, during which he averaged 29.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists over the seven games.

In the championship-clinching game, James finished with a triple-double as he had a team-high 27 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

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Lebron’s Cavs stun Warriors in thriller to clinch title

LeBron James powered the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 93-89 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday in an electrifying Game Seven to complete an improbable comeback unlike any seen before and capture their first NBA championship.

With the victory over the top-seeded Warriors, who beat Cleveland in last year’s championship, the Cavaliers became the first team to rally from a 3-1 series deficit in the best-of-seven NBA Finals and win the title.

“I’ve had goal for two years since I came back to bring a championship to the city,” said an emotional James, who returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 after a four-year stint with Miami that included a pair of NBA championships.

“I gave it everything that I had. I poured my heart, my blood, my sweat and my tears into this game.”

James led Cleveland in the championship-clinching with a triple-double as he scored 27 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 11 assists en route to being named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals.

The win ends decades of heartbreak for the city of Cleveland, which had not won a professional sports championship since the 1964 Cleveland Browns of the National Football League.

For James, the win not only marks his third NBA title, but it will go down as the single greatest achievement of his storied career as it fulfills his promise to deliver a title to his home state of Ohio.

“I understand what everyone in northeastern Ohio have been through the last 50-plus years and I am happy to be a part of history,” said James, who was in tears as he wrapped his arms around the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. “I can’t wait to get back home. I am ready to get to you guys.”

The back-and-forth game lived up to its billing as it was tight throughout and included 20 lead changes while no team was able to pull ahead by more than eight points.

Facing elimination in each of their previous two games, James carried the Cavs back from the brink as they became only the third team to force a Game Seven after falling behind 3-1 in the championship round.

For the Warriors, who had a record 73 wins during the 82-game regular season, Sunday’s defeat marked the first time since November 2013 that they have lost three consecutive games.

The Warriors were in complete control of the series but were ultimately undone by the disappearance of their high-octane offense, a suspension to defensive stalwart Draymond Green, a season-ending injury to rim-protecting center Andrew Bogut and defensive specialist Andre Iguodala dealing with a balky back.

“I knew what we were capable of, even being down 3-1 versus the greatest regular season team ever,” said James.

“Everybody counted us out and that’s when we strived the most and that’s definitely when I strived the most when everybody counted me out.”

After a record smashing regular season the Warriors could not cap off the campaign with a second successive title, unable to deliver the knockout punch after going up 3-1 in the best-of-season series.

“Just an incredible run that obviously didn’t end the way we wanted it to,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “It’s been an incredible two-year run. We’re disappointed that it didn’t go our way at the end, but that’s life.”

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Pres Duterte Son ‘Salamat sa Payo at Palo’!

Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte greets his father, the President-elect Rodrigo Duterte a ‘Happy Fathers’ Day’ on facebook.

The son of Digong thanked him for the ‘ advices and disciplinary actions’ for it made him a better person.

“Thank you for being tough on me for it pushes me to be my absolute best. Salamat pa sa tanang kasaba ug bunal. It made me tougher to face life’s challenges; stronger to take great responsibilities; and better to make difficult decisions” the note says.

Also, the oldest son of Digong thanks his father for trusting him to run the city as the vice mayor.

Paolo Duterte is the oldest son of Pres.Rody and his ex-wife Elizabeth Zimmerman.

This posted is created by Pulong Duterte himself and posted it on his facebook account.

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Look: Inday Sara, Paolo take oath

Daughter of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, Inday Sara and son Paolo Duterte took oath as Mayor and Vice Mayor of Davao City Monday morning at the Hall of Justice.

Look at the photos below from Paolo’s facebook:

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Vice Mayor Pulong Duterte to Baste Duterte Fans: "Sorry,it’s my turn"

This time, it’s about the Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte and brother of Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte who has been tagged as ‘the reluctant heartthrob’ in one lovely photo.

In the photo, the older Duterte poses as he about to kiss Baste. According to Pulong, Baste is their ( Inday Sara) ‘Baby Boy’.

“Sorry ha, ako napud. Inyuha nalang tanan. Gimingaw nako aning tawhana ni ( I’m sorry, it’s my turn. I miss this guy)  “Pulong said in a caption which posted on his facebook account. A statement that the Vice Mayor truly misses his surfing ‘Baby Boy’.

The netizens expressed their affection for Duterte brothers for being sweet and loving with each other. Here are some of the netizens comments about the photo.

Pulong also said that Baste has been out for too long and he wasn’t able to visit their mother.

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