PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. highlighted on Thursday, August 11, 2022, the important role of the local government units (LGUs) to strengthen the country’s food supply chain production and distribution.
In a meeting with members of the League of Provinces of the Philippines, Marcos reiterated the need to strengthen the coordination between the national government and the LGUs to ensure the efficient food supply and distribution, as well as planning in terms of cropping schedules, yield, soil problems, and use of fertilizer.
“We have to coordinate our efforts on food supply. We cannot just allow ‘bahala na kayo’,” Marcos said.
“But this has to be part of a plan, and that is why, more than ever, the President needs the help of the governors. Dati, ang agriculture, for example, was really under the national government,” he added.
Marcos serves as the concurrent secretary of the Department of Agriculture.
He said he will prioritize areas with active agricultural production in a bid to address issues on supply chain amid the looming food crisis.
Meanwhile, Marcos also urged for a strengthened coordination in the field of digitalization, recognizing that provinces have done a better job than the national government in this area.
“Marami sa inyong medyo progressive, inunahan niyo na ang national government. Now, we have to bring the system together. Kailangan ‘yung information na hawak ng isang probinsya, ng isang agency, accessible doon sa kabila as long as they have authorization,” he said.
“We have to be literally interconnected. So that’s another area where we are hoping that we can strengthen the cooperation -- the planning, the coordination between national government and local government,” the President added.
During his first State of the Nation Address (Sona), Marcos highlighted the need for digitalization in the country to improve the daily lives of the people, especially in transacting with the government, as well as for better governance. (SunStar Philippines)