MARAMING SALAMAT SA INYONG PAGDALO DITO SA PAGPUPULONG NA ITO. NAPAKAHALAGANG PAGPUPULONG SA USAPIN NG FOOD SECURITY – PAGKAIN, SA GITNA NG KRISIS.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 110 DECLARING STATE OF NATIONAL ENERGY EMERGENCY WAS ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENT FEW WEEKS AGO. THIS RESOLUTION WAS FILED — SENATE RESOLUTION 346 WAS FILED BEFORE WE WENT ON RECESS. WE ARE CURRENTLY FACING AN ENERGY CRISIS BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THIS ENERGY CRISIS CAN EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A FOOD CRISIS, AND THEREFORE WE HAVE TO PREPARE.
30% OF OUR UREA SOURCES OF THE WORLD COME FROM OR PASS THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. ABOUT 40% OF AMONIA WHICH IS ALSO A RAW MATERIAL FOR FERTILIZERS LIKEWISE COMES FROM THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ OR PASSES THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. TODAY IT IS STILL CLOSE RELATIVE LARGELY AND THEREFORE FARM INPUTS ARE NOT GOING TO REACH THE NECESSARY SUPPLY CHAIN REQUIREMENTS FOR PRODUCTION WHICH CAN EVENTUALLY AFFECT SUPPLY AND COST AND THEREFORE EXPERTS ARE SAYING UNLESS THIS IS RESOLVED SOONER RATHER THAN LATER IN TERMS IN THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST WE SHOULD PREPARE FOR A FOOD SHOCK. THERE WAS A FOOD SHOCK DURING THE UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR WHICH AFFECTED THE ENTIRE AGRICULTURE SECTOR WORLDWIDE AND THIS IS THEY SAY WORST, AND SO WE HAVE TO PREPARE. AND WE BELIEVE AS YOU HAVE HEARD EARLIER IN TERMS OF WHO ARE HERE, THE ONLY WAY WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IS TO WORK TOGETHER. ‘PAG TAYO PO AY NAGTUTULUNGAN, GOBYERNO AT PRIBADONG SEKTOR HINDI KAYA ITO NG GOBYERNO LAMANG. IF THE PANDEMIC TAUGHT US ANYTHING IS THAT ‘PAG NATULUNGAN TAYO AT NAGKAISA AY KAYA NATING LAGPASAN ANG MGA PAGSUBOK – AT YUN RIN ANG ATING NAIS MANGYARI RITO: MAGKAROON NG SISTEMA PARA MAGTULUNGAN ANG SEKTOR NG AGRIKULTURA AT MANGINGISDA. ANG AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY, LOGISTICS, SUPPLY CHAIN, TO COME TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.
LAST MARCH 31, SECRETARIES KIKO LAUREL, CONRADO ESTRELLA, MYSELF, CONGRESSMAN MARK ENVERGA, CONGRESSWOMAN LEAH BULUT, CONGRESSMAN SALCEDA, BOTH HOUSES SAT DOWN WITH THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT (AND) SECRETARIES AND WE CREATED A CRISIS COMMITTEE FOR FOOD SECURITY. WE WILL, AFTER THIS HEARING, SUGGEST TO SECRETARIES KIKO AND CONRADO THAT WE INCLUDE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN THIS AGRI-AGRA CRISIS COMMITTEE. WE HAVE AGREED TO MEET A MINIMUM ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS AND MORE MEETINGS IF NECESSARY. WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A WAR ROOM C/O SECRETARY KIKO LAUREL. WE WELCOME THE PRIVATE SECTORS PROPOSALS, SUGGESTIONS, AND OF COURSE PARTNERSHIP IN ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF FOOD SECURITY AND AVERTING OR CUSHIONING THE IMPACT OF A POSSIBLE FOOD SHOCK ON OUR COUNTRY.
KAYA NATIN LAGPASAN ITO. ANG KINAKAILANGAN LAMANG AY PROACTIVE, PARTICIPATORY, AT MA-MOMOBILIZE HINDI LAMANG ANG GOBYERNO KUNG HINDI ANG MAS MALAWAK NA PRIBADONG SEKTOR SA HANAY NG AGRIKULTURA AT MANGINGISDA. WE CAN FACE THIS CRISIS BUT WE HAVE TO PREPARE. WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET OVER THIS CRISIS BUT WE HAVE TO BE READY AND THAT’S WHY WE HAVE THIS COMMITTEE HEARING. AND WE THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. HUWAG PO TAYO MANGAMBA LAMANG, KUMILOS TAYO (AT) HARAPIN NATIN ITONG KRISIS NA ‘TO AT MALALAGPASAN NATIN (ITO). ####