Return of FM’s Masagana 99, Biyayang Dagat eyed

MANILA, Philippines – The late strongman Ferdinand Marcos continues to inspire President Duterte, who said yesterday he wanted to revive the dictator’s Masagana 99 and Biyayang Dagat agricultural programs to boost the nation’s food security.

Duterte, who has said he considers Marcos among the “brightest” Filipinos, made the statement in Tuguegarao City, where he distributed relief goods to those affected by Super Typhoon Lawin and gave financial assistance to local government units.

In his speech, Duterte noted that his government is working towards ensuring food security among Filipinos, pointing out that agriculture is second in terms of budgeting. The biggest chunk of the budget, he said, is for education.

He said that if Masagana 99 and Biyayang Dagat had been sustained through the years, the Philippines would have been in a better position by now.

Masagana 99 promoted the use of high-yielding rice varieties developed by the International Rice Research Institute to increase the productivity of rice lands in the country. The term Masagana 99 refers to the number of sacks of rice yielded per hectare of land in every harvest.

It was credited for launching the Philippine Green Revolution in 1973, making the nation self-sufficient in rice and allowed it to export rice for the first time to Asian countries.

It was also dubbed as a “program for national survival” because it was established at a time when the Philippines was experiencing a crisis in rice supply.

The Biyayang Dagat program, on the other hand, allowed poor fishermen to avail  loans from financing institutions. To help them pay back the loans, the program sought to widen the market for fish products and improve the fisheries sector.

Duterte said he is going to follow Masagana 99 and Biyayang Dagat as models for his administration’s food security initiatives. The programs would be reinstalled in phases until the country achieves food security.

The President instructed Agriculture Secretary Manuel Piñol to oversee the implementation of the programs.

Duterte also urged those in northern Luzon to revive their cooperatives, especially those engaged in farming and microfinancing as he would pour funds into these groups.

Duterte said he considers Marcos as among the “brightest” Filipinos for conceiving Masagana 99 and Biyayang Dagat programs.

He also expressed belief that Marcos was the best president if only he did not declare a dictatorship.

“It was very good until he (Marcos) became weak and then everybody else who was involved in the programs was already doing their own thing,” Duterte said. – With Edith Regalado