THE newly-installed Bongbong Marcos administration has been studying on the possible redirection of policies and guidelines that seemed to skip the attention of the previous administrations.
This could be one of the major reasons why the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education are taken over by the President and Vice-President, respectively.
It is but timely and proper to address the different problems in these two departments.
Take the case of the major problem always suffered by farmers in the field of agriculture.
It is known for a fact that every newly-sworn administration of the country is always batting on the increase of yield on rice and corn and other products. It is not only mentioned during a State of the Nation Address of a president. Even on scheduled interviews, this issue is always touched.
And, solutions are always given and similar.
The solution?
That of giving subsidized bags of fertilizer!
But was the giving of subsidized inputs to the farmers solved the problem?
To Short Cuts’ observation the proposed solution even coming from the mouth of the president has not solved the problem. This is Short Cuts’ comment as a hands on farmer.
As experienced by Short Cuts, a farmer who needs 10 bags of fertilizer is only allowed by the Municipal Agriculturist to get one half of the needed inputs.
So, how can the problem be solved?
If the practice from the Department of Agriculture remains the same in this new administration, never can this government expect a sufficient stock of rice and corn.
Observed otherwise, was the other half of the required inputs of the farmer a victim of the age-old corruption?
Maybe true, maybe not!
But, it is indeed sad to note of the fertilizer scams that happened during the previous administrations. We have read about these mishandling of government funds in the national dailies as well as in the local papers.
But, we were not informed of the outcome of those cases. All these issues remained silent.
However, in the midst of this issue on the increase of rice and corn production in the country, here comes a ‘solution’ proposed by the newly-installed Chief of the Technical Education and Skills Authority (TESDA).
He proposes for well-trained farmers.
He desires farmers, young and old, to be trained in Organic Farming. In that much number of hours of training conducted by TESDA, he is assuring of well-trained farmers.
No longer in chemical fertilizers, but in the use of organic fertilizers.
With this redirection to organic farming, Short Cuts just hopes for a clean program. A program that should be devoid of corruption.
CORRUPTION OF FUNDS would just become a thing of the past.
