On Tuesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. disclosed his birthday wish for a stabilized agriculture sector in the country, underlining the importance of predictability in weather patterns to assist the nation’s farmers.
In a heartfelt statement, Marcos said, “Maging maayos na ang agrikultura at malaman na natin kung ano ba talaga ang weather, wet season ba o dry season para naman matulungan natin yung mga farmer natin. ‘Yun lamang naman ang aking panalangin pa rin hanggang ngayon.”
(English translation: “I hope our agriculture sector will be fixed and we would know what the weather really is, whether it is the wet or dry season, so we can help our farmers. That is still my prayer.”)
The President, who is also in charge of the agriculture portfolio, emphasized the plea as he approaches his 66th birthday on Wednesday.
Marcos Jr. considered the executive order he signed earlier in the day as one of the “best birthday gifts” he could have received. The order extends the moratorium on land amortization and lays down the implementing rules and regulations of the revolutionary New Agrarian Emancipation Act.
As the Philippines grapples with soaring rice and food prices — a situation exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine and inefficiencies in the domestic food distribution system — the President took decisive action to alleviate the crisis. Marcos Jr. approved the trade department’s three-year food logistics action agenda, targeting improvements in the food distribution network countrywide.
To further fortify the agriculture sector, a series of robust measures have been implemented, including the capping of rice prices to protect consumers from skyrocketing costs. The newly approved logistics plan is broad-ranging, designed to tackle issues like hoarding, smuggling, and overstaying food imports that have been hindering the agricultural supply chain.