HER VALENTINES. Gov. Pineda spends morning of Feb. 14 at the 6th Farmers Day in Porac.
PHOTO BY BONG LACSON
PORAC, Pampanga – It could not have come at a better time – Valentine’s Day – Gov. Lilia G. Pineda declaring the Capitol’s “love affair” with the farmers. Dressed for the occasion – in flaming red blouse – Pineda jested she risked separation from her husband by being with the landtillers of Porac on the day usually celebrated by partners-in-love, which the town appropriated for its own Farmers Day.
Before the assembly of some 800 farmers and local officials, the governor announced that 2014 may well be considered as “Year of the Farmer” in Pampanga, vowing to extend Capitol’s all-out support and assistance in funds, equipment, and infrastructure development to improve crop production.
Porac is the third town the governor visited in a week’s time in pursuit of her administration’s agricultural agenda. In Candaba, Pineda led the groundbreaking for the P18,144,950 upgrading of the Baliwag- Candaba-Sta.Ana Road in Barangay San Agustin in the first of the DPWH road rehabilitation package in the town
amounting to P38 million.
The DPWH road projects are primarily directed at interconnecting farms to markets in and Tagalog regions
reaching to Baliwag and San Miguel in Bulacan. The projects are seen to further boost Candaba’s flourishing duck eggs industry, which grosses an average of P1.42 billion annually, as well as its corn and palay production and fishing industry.
Pineda became the first governor of Pampanga ever to visit Barangays Santo Rosario, Bambang, Lanang, Pasinao and Gulap, which are acknowledged as the Candaba’s “corn belt” with a combined area of 207.6 hectares devoted to the grain.
The Office of the Municipal Agriculturist said the fi ve barangays produce at least 4,728,000 ears of corn annually, aside from 48,576 cavans. Pineda acceded to the farmers’ request of 25 shallow tube wells to
be used for irrigation of the corn and palay lands.
Candaba produced 82,189,195 metric tons of palay in 2013. Gone fishing To help raise the income of Pampanga’s fishermen, Pineda partnered with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
in providing them some P800,000-worth of fishing gears and equipment, as well as fingerlings.
The turn-over of the provisions was held at the Capitol last Monday. Pineda and the BFAR also gave P330,000-
worth of similar gears and equipment to fishermen in the towns of Macabebe and Masantol. Livelihood loan assistance was extended by the Capitol to fisherfolk families.
“A partnership in productivity,” Pineda said of the loan assistance, whereby “those at home will have the capacity to earn through micro businesses while the menfolk are out fi shing.” Statistics from BFAR showed Pampanga with at least 4,104 municipal fi shermen; 4,812 hectares of freshwater fishponds with 3,685 operators; and 11,678 hectares of brackish water fishponds with 1,609 operators.
Major aquaculture commodities in the province include tilapia, bangus, sugpo and mud crab. “Prudence dictates that agriculture and fisheries need to be at the top of our agenda, given Pampanga’s rich soil
and aquatic resources.
They serve as our guarantees for food security, as well as tickets to prosperity for our people,” the governor said.
–-With reports from Pampanga PIO
