Senate President Manuel Villar yesterday blamed corruption in the agriculture department as the culprit behind the food sufficiency problem in the country, particularly, the looming rice shortage.

He said the Senate has passed measures to increase farmers’ productivity but the budget has been disappearing such as in the case of the unresolved fertilizer scam.

The Agriculture Modernization Act which has a budget of P20 billion has not been fully implemented and the responsibility to implement programs belong to the executive department, Villar said.

It is the job of the executive to monitor rice supply and something has to be done before it becomes a crisis, he said.

However, Villar hopes that the looming shortage on rice production will not be another reason for the executive department to ask for emergency powers since it is something that the Senate will not easily acquiesce to.

Villar also shrugged off comments that the senators have been remiss in some of their functions as they have been focused on conducting investigations in aid of legislation.

He said the Senate investigations are necessary to ensure that the interests of the Filipino people are protected.

Villar said the investigations have dragged on since the executive department has been uncooperative in allowing witnesses to attend the hearings.

Villar stressed the need to restore the people’s trust in the government which has been eroded due to dubious and alleged anomalous transactions.

The investigation on the NBN-ZTE deal has saved the country millions of pesos that the regular taxpayers would have to shoulder if the anomalous transaction was not aborted.

What is important right now is to stop the cycle of corruption and make democracy work in the country, Villar said.*NAB

back to top