CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Key initiatives aimed at enhancing food security and expanded support to Kapampangan farmers highlighted the call of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Gov. Lilia ‘Nanay” Pineda and Vice Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda at the Capitol on Jan. 21.
Several proposed agricultural projects, including the establishment of small-scale rice complexes, planting initiatives in government-owned properties to boost food security, and the construction of irrigation facilities were reviewed as well as the continuing collaboration on the construction and improvement of farm-to-market roads (FMR). The Pampanga officials reaffirmed that farmers will be actively involved in the implementation process to ensure that projects address legitimate needs. Transparency measures were also highlighted, including live-streamed bidding activities for FMR projects.
As part of the visit, Laurel toured the Pampanga Command and Control Center in Barangay Sindalan, where he benchmarked the provincial government’s data system developed to support the agriculture sector. On behalf of the governor and vice governor, Executive Assistant IV Angelina Blanco presented the integrated data platform which consolidates agricultural data from local government units.
The system integrated comprehensive farmer profiles and geographical information system (GIS) that maps farmlands across the province, enabling more accurate monitoring, planning, and reporting during calamities.
Laurel commended the province for its innovation and shared that the DA is exploring the adoption of the system and a formal data sharing agreement through a memorandum of agreement once the platform is fully developed and all farmers in the province are captured.
“I’m quite impressed with what I’ve seen and congratulate the team. We have a lot to learn from the provincial government of Pampanga, as they are ahead of us in this area. We may seek their assistance to help accelerate our learning process and further improve the delivery of services to our farmers,” the secretary said.
The initiative is expected to enhance inter-provincial and regional data sharing and further strengthen the delivery of agricultural services through the agency’s newly inaugurated command and control center.
According to Blanco, the data system is among the priority modernization projects initiated during the term as governor of now Vice Governor Delta, particularly to expedite the distribution of assistance during floods and other calamities that frequently affect the agriculture sector.
In addition to the agricultural data platform, the DA also recognized Pampanga’s strong disaster preparedness and response capabilities, including Pampanga River and Pasig-Potrero monitoring, early warning systems, province-wide CCTV coverage, hydrometeorological stations, rain gauges, and automated weather stations that provide real-time data to the provincial government. To date, more than 44,000 farmers across Pampanga are registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture. Pampanga PIO
