Puno to support pro-Mindanao agri measures in Congress

Former Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ricardo "Dong" Puno Jr. has pledged support for legislative measures that will speed up the transformation of resources-rich Mindanao into the country’s major food provider.

Puno, one of the senatorial frontrunners of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, batted for the full implementation of the agricultural modernization program in Mindanao and the allocation of more funds for the construction of farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems and post-harvest facilities in the south.

He underscored the need to fully implement the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), in which Mindanao is a major beneficiary, in realizing the goal of providing sufficient food on the table of every Filipino family.

‘Our focus on Mindanao will benefit not only its people but the rest of the country as well. Developing Mindanao into the country’s food basin and agriculture center is a major step towards ensuring food security and sustaining economic growth," Puno told the local media Tuesday night in a press conference at the La Juliana Hotel here.

Puno, along with other Laban senatorial bets, was in this city as part of the opposition slate’s four-day Mindanao offensive to campaign for victory in the May 14 polls.

The former press secretary noted that during the tenure of fellow senatorial aspirant Edgardo Angara as agriculture secretary, the Department of Agriculture (DA) was able to put in place several initiatives geared towards the transformation of Mindanao into the country’s food basket.

These include the $550 million Mindanao Rural Development Project, in which small farmers and fisherfolk in the pilot provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Compostela Valley and Agusan del Sur were the first beneficiaries.