Staying put

Until efficient “systems” are in place, according to President Marcos, the nation will have to put up with him as secretary of agriculture.

The systems, he said, should make it possible to fulfill his “aspirations” for a guaranteed food supply at affordable prices and a “good living” for farmers.

Those are ambitious goals along the line of his election campaign “aspiration” for rice at P20 a kilo. They make his story about having no volunteers for the top agriculture post almost believable… except the “Marites” grapevine had been awash with stories of at least one person already preparing to take on the job. This willing person, however, reportedly became a casualty of the feud between the President’s avowed BFF the Vice President and his cousin the Speaker.

Last January, BBM had said he wanted an agriculture expert as permanent secretary of the Department of Agriculture. He already had such an expert in agriculture scientist Leocadio Sebastian, but the guy became an early casualty of infighting within the corridors of power. Although Sebastian has since been recycled to a post where his expertise is well suited, what happened to him is surely a concern for anyone being recruited by BBM to head the DA.

So it looks like the nation will have to put up with the current secretary of agriculture (his words) all the way to the end of his term in 2028, for better or worse.

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This is an underwhelming prospect for those who remember the “chicken sad” and onion crises of 2022, plus the continuing greed-driven sugar crisis.

A common criticism is that with so many other complicated problems requiring a president’s urgent attention, from the education crisis to looming power and water shortages and (according to his finance chief) fiscal collapse, BBM needs a full-time DA secretary who can micromanage and focus 100 percent on the agriculture sector.

Last year, according to official data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for the lowest contribution among the major economic sectors to the gross domestic product with 8.9 percent, behind the services sector (61.4 percent) and industry (29.7 percent).

In terms of employment, the agriculture sector’s share was only 23.5 percent as of March this year, below the 59 percent in services, and only slightly higher than those in industry (17.5 percent), according to the PSA.

On the other hand, Marcos supporters say the problems that have long hounded the agriculture sector are best tackled by the President himself. Orders can be issued directly for faster compliance by both national and local government agencies.

The President has talked about supply and value chain issues that need fixing to stabilize supply and prices of agricultural commodities. DA officials have told “The Chiefs” on One News that this means, among other things, eliminating several middlemen and having the government provide farm equipment, facilities and services, whose lack or steep fees drive up crop retail prices.

But we’ve heard such commitments before, from a succession of administrations, so people aren’t holding their breath about the latest plans.

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DA Secretary BBM was in charge of the country only during the second half of 2022. So “chicken sad” and P750-a-kilo onions (plus P136-a-kilo sugar) notwithstanding, he can still deflect blame for the lackluster agricultural production, and even for food inflation – the biggest contributor to the 14-year-high inflation rate under his watch.

So far, the agriculture problems are still not sticking to him, as can be inferred from his continuing high survey ratings (although slipping). He can still afford to pass on the blame to officials by firing them.

His authority can even be invoked to brush aside criticism of the short-circuiting of importation rules to favor three companies in bringing in 440,000 metric tons of white refined sugar ASAP, with the sugar arriving even before an import order was issued. (Yet sugar prices still refused to come down.)

The impressive clout of those three entities – something that can be possible in this country only through powerful connections – could be among the reasons why there are no takers for the top DA post.

An official who signs off on that kind of questionable importation could find himself facing an indictment for plunder in the not-too-distant future. Such is life in this land of “weather-weather lang.”

Meanwhile, here we are the hoi polloi, wondering when greed will be moderated to substantially bring down sugar prices, and not just in the tax-subsidized Kadiwa outlets.

Since it looks like positioning for 2028 is starting early, food-driven inflation and other agriculture issues may be used by non-administration forces against Marcos 2.0.

The issues may be used even by forces within the administration, if the rift in the UniTeam widens, which is looking inevitable even this early considering the egos and ambitions involved.

BBM seems unfazed about such possibilities. Perhaps he’s thinking that if his ambitious objectives are attained, especially for P20 a kilo rice outside Kadiwa, it will not only establish his legacy but also boost his efforts to fully rehabilitate the Marcos name.

In agriculture, the buck stops with the President – successes and failures alike.