DA drew House support for higher budget amid P300-B cut

Members of the House of Representatives are rallying for a larger budget for the Department of Agriculture (DA) after learning that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) recommended more than a P300 billion cut from its original allocation request for fiscal year 2025. 

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. disclosed that they initially requested a P513 billion budget for the coming year, but this was slashed by the DBM to P200,195,367,000 in the P6.352 trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) it submitted to Congress in late July.

"It is unfortunate that our request of P500 billion has become P200 billion. I guess it all boils down to what our government can provide. But of course, we will ask for a little more in the bicam [bicameral conference], before the end of the year," Laurel said during the House appropriations panel's hearing on the DA's budget.

Laurel emphasized that global and domestic challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions, have further exposed the country's weakness in food production and distribution systems. He also stressed the need to bolster Philippine agriculture to make it more productive, competitive, and resilient to support the growing population.

"Our proposed budget for 2025…is designed to address these needs. It would fund essential interventions for agricultural modernization, increase productivity, global competitiveness and resilience against disasters, climate change, and pandemics," he said. 

Agri Partylist Rep. Wilbert Lee called into question the glaring disparities between the government's pledge to prioritize the agriculture sector and the significant decrease in the budget of the DA, which he said could help lower the prices of rice and other agricultural commodities if given substantial support.

"Is agriculture really our priority? Are we serious here? The [budget] difference is huge. How can we lower the price of food if the allocated funds for agriculture are insufficient?" Lee said in Filipino.

"We want to increase production, lower the price of goods, but we cut the budget. It's like we're just fooling around. What the agency requested should be given, and it should be spent correctly so that the people can feel it immediately, not just what is bought," he added.

Lee also questioned the vast difference between the pre-harvest services and post-harvest facilities, which have an allocation of P58.45 billion and P13.51 billion, respectively.

"We know that post-harvest is one of the big problems of our farmers. Why don't we increase the budget here, if it can't be matched immediately, at least close to the pre-harvest budget? The gap is too far," Lee lamented.

Laurel assured the panel that if they failed in their bid for a greater budget, they would pour it into the "areas where we have a greater gain in agriculture." 

Additionally, the DA chief bared their plans to link agricultural markets, essential for the efficient distribution of goods, reduce post-harvest losses, improve farmers' market access, and ultimately enhance food security and economic growth.

Panel senior vice chairperson, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, called for an intensified government effort to strengthen the agriculture sector to achieve its fundamental food security mandate by providing adequate funding and support for the agricultural industry.

"Our farmers and fishermen are the foundation of the country's food security. They bring food to the table of every Filipino family. It is our duty to ensure that their efforts are recognized and adequately supported," Quimbo said in her opening remarks.

Deputy Speaker Antonio "Tonypet" Albano and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez joined their peers' clamor to restore the DA's original budget proposal, or at the very least, to increase it by an additional P100 billion.