Pangilinan eyes agriculture-related gov’t post in Robredo admin

Vice presidential aspirant and Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Wednesday said that he wants to serve in a Cabinet post related to agriculture in the event Vice President Leni Robredo wins the 2022 presidential race.

"I believe that unless society, led by the government as catalyst, places the plight of our farmers and fisherfolk front and center in our national agenda, we can never achieve sustainable and rapid economic growth. That is why I agreed  run as Vice President with Vice President Leni [as President]: to address fundamental and long-running systemic ills that have prevented our nation from becoming the powerhouse it most certainly become," Pangilinan said during the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) forum.

"I would like to serve in whatever position related to the agriculture sector. [But] we have not discussed it in detail, and I do not want to preempt our soon-to-be president," Pangilinan added.

Pangilinan, who served as a  Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization during the administration of the late President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, cited that his mettle was tested when he dealt with cocolisap incident, when pests attacked coconut trees; rice price increases; and infighting at the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) during the Aquino administration.

"I came in and it was crisis after crisis, but we are able to put things together and bring synergy among various departments,"  Pangilinan, who also served as National Food Authority Council chair during the Aquino administration, said.

"We also brought down the rice inflation rate at 0.8% and we were able to turn down the bids of Thailand and Vietnam [in supplying us with imported rice because their prices were too expensive. It brought the rice prices down and the government has been able to save P6 billion," he added.

Pangilinan said his experience can greatly help a Robredo administration address joblessness brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, given that 1.7 million out of the 3.4 million jobs lost were in the agriculture sector.

"We feel that we will be able to use our extensive experience to address issues plaguing agriculture and food security," he added.

Having said that, Pangilinan said, it would be ideal for the voters to cast their vote for President and Vice President who are running under the same ticket.

"Voting for a tandem will promote stability and continuity," Pangilinan said.

"That would be the most ideal, although this [tendency of voting candidates from different parties is a result of a weak political party system]. We have to institute political party reforms, and have anti-turncoatism measures," he added.

While transferring political parties should be allowed, Pangilinan said changing sides should not be based on a whim.

"Hindi puedeng parang nagpapalit lang ng damit [You cannot do it as if you are changing clothes.] If a party member wishes to transfer to another party, there should be consequences and a process for approval, maybe from the Commission on Elections, before it can happen," he said. — BM, GMA News