IN A RECENT edition of The Daily Guardian on Air over Aksyon Radyo, National Food Authority provincial manager Hedy Jardeleza and Department of Agriculture Region 6 director Larry Nacionales assured the public that there is no problem as far as rice supply is concerned.

But the challenge that lies ahead is more daunting. “If our population is going to hit 130 million by 2025 then we should double by that time the volume of rice we produce.”

Stop converting agricultural lands. Increase the irrigation budget!

Pero indi nyo pag-kawata!

***

The government’s irrigation budget worth P7.6 billion last 2007 was not able to meet the aim of opening up more lands for agricultural production.

The amount was only good for 17,150 hectares, “a fraction of the backlog of irrigable lands,” which need to be developed for the country to feed a population of 90 million people that grows by two million a year.

Based on the population increase, the Philippines must produce additional 208,000 metric tons of rice a year on an annual per capita rice consumption of 104 kilos.

Tandaan naton nga ang duta iya wala nagalapad, pero ang tao nagamuad!

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“Food scarcity can be traced in part to water scarcity,” a pro-Arroyo politician friend who requested anonymity said. “More water to farms would lead to more food on the table. This is because the law of nature says we need water to grow food.”

He also called for the construction of more post harvest facilities such as dryers and storage to reduce wastage of palay, which runs to at least 15 percent of yield, after harvest.

Diin na ang revenue sa new tax measures haw? It should be “plowed back to irrigation and other farm programs that will achieve food security,” he added.

***

Its graduation time in the Philippines, the most important day in the life of any aspiring student, especially for the children of my humble and business-minded friends Engr. Alfredo “Fred” Ong and Mrs. Mila Ong. They will all have a new life very soon.

This April, Mil Ivan Ong will proudly march on stage after finishing his BS in Radiologic Technology (RadTech) in Iloilo Doctor’s College. Engr. Ong’s one and only daughter Ma. Antonette Ong  has finished Medicine. Ma. Antonette was one of the first graduates of CPU-College of Medicine. After the eight long years she will achieve her post graduate intern certificate and diploma this April 2008.

Wala ka nang hahanapin pa, may X-ray Technician ka na, may doctor ka pa!

Congratulations on your achievement!

You have worked hard. Now enjoy reaping the benefits! Well done, Pare Fred Ong!

***

The hard simple life of a taxi driver can also be an honest one.

Rexes Cabuguason is one of the thousand taxi drivers here who work all day. He lives modestly in San Enrique, Iloilo.

On Thursday, he could have owned a high-end cellular phone or have bought his family some nice things or delicious food and sacks of rice when he found an expensive cellphone. A passenger had accidentally dropped it in Rexes’ driven Light of Glory Taxi.

I was Rexes’ next passenger last Thursday, and he told me about the cellular phone.

The only problem was he didn’t know the passenger. So Rexes had to track her down. He reported it to the LOG’s office. Then, I introduced myself to him.

Rexes made sure that the phone was returned. I learned it from Romel Celiz another LOG taxi driver who brought me to Aksyon Radyo from Mambusao Saturday.

Asked if he is not in need of money, Rexes admitted life has never been easy for him. But he said he was still compelled to do the right thing.

Hat’s off ako da Rexes! Kabay pa magdamu ang lahi mo!

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