War vs poverty
FILIPINOS, particularly the poor, are in for more problems if concerned government offices and agencies fail to support the priority programs of the Marcos government.
The situation is not helped any by the series of catastrophic natural disasters, like typhoons, flooding and landslides, that recently ravaged various parts of the country.
Due to these natural calamities and the continued adverse effects of the more than two-year-old coronavirus disease pandemic, more people are going hungry and jobless.
But it is heartening to know that President Marcos is committed to develop the agriculture sector, enhance food production, and eradicate hunger and poverty in the Philippines.
We commend the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for its decision to implement programs and projects to alleviate poverty, develop agribusiness and create jobs.
Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III of Pangasinan said these multi-pronged programs and projects will be funded under the Official Development Assistance (ODA).
The funds will be coming from developed countries, such as Japan, France and Spain.
Estrella created a Project Development Team (PDT), led by Dr. Ma. Cristina Dagdag, is tasked to find out which among the country’s 57 settlement areas are in need of assistance.
Likewise, members of the DAR-PDT undertake the preparation and packaging of project proposals that can provide a wide range of support services.
These support services include training, credit assistance, farm-to-market roads and bridges, and irrigation/portable water systems, according to the DAR top honcho.
With President Marcos and other well-meaning government officials around, the more than 110 million Filipino people see better signs for the coming years.
