Farmers asked to help develop dream Pangasinan

COJUANGCO UPDATES

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Former Fifth District Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Mark Cojuangco shares his dream to uplift the plight of farmers as Abono partylist founder, Engr. Rosendo So, discusses his group’s fight against smuggling of agricultural goods that hurt the agricultural sector. The two were guests during the Farmers’ Day celebration in San Nicolas town led by Mayor Rebecca Saldivar.

PANGASINENSES have been invited and challenged to help develop their dream province, one that is attractive to investors and benevolent to farmers.

Former Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco, a gubernatorial bet for the May 9 polls, intimated his dream before hundreds of farmers and their families during the 24th Annual Farmers Day on Feb. 29 in San Nicolas town.

Cojuangco, who was the event’s guest of honor and speaker, said he continued to be delighted by the warm welcome accorded to him and his running mate, Calasiao Mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay anywhere they went in the province.

He said he has big dreams for Pangasinan, for it to be truly progressive and attractive to investors so that investments would pour in, industries would rise and more employment would be generated.

He said he wants families here to enjoy comfortable lives with good-paying jobs, stay and continue to live together with their loved ones right at their home province.

He said his second dream is to uplift farmers’ lives since 75 per cent of Pangasinenses rely on agriculture for their livelihood.

He said other provinces have enough agricultural infrastructure and facilities that boost farmers’ income.

“We are now in the 20th century. I cannot understand why Pangasinan farmers sell their produce still in raw materials form,” Cojuangco said.

He said rice farmers sell their produce still in palay form as well as those raising corn that sell their produce as dried corn.

He said in other areas, palay produce is sold as rice brought to Metro Manila and other provinces while corn producers sell their produce as animal feeds and farmers earn extra income because of availability of modern facilities.

He said in the Fifth District where he was a three-term congressman, he had put in place some major pro-farmers projects in Villasis and Alcala towns with big drying facilities to empower the farmers, provide them with more income and improve their living condition.

These agricultural structures had been proven effective especially during rainy season, he added.

He also urged farmers to form cooperatives and associations for greater representations.

Meanwhile, Engr. Rosendo So, chairman of Abono partylist and a staunch ally of Cojuangco, informed farmers about his group’s fight against smuggling.

He said Abono partylist Rep. Conrado Estrella III and Emmanuel Francisco “Pacoy” Ortega III and other congressmen recently passed a bill in Congress, with a counterpart Senate bill declaring smuggling of agricultural goods as economic sabotage. The approved legislation is awaiting the President’s signature before it becomes a law within 30 days after its passage, he added.

So said the unabated smuggling of agricultural goods is hurting local farmers terribly.

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