Guimaras can serve as PH template for food sufficiency: Isko

MANILA – Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso said Guimaras can serve as the Philippines' template for food sufficiency which can hopefully be copied or replicated by other provinces.

Domagoso and his party were warmly welcomed by Guimaras Governor Samuel Gumarin and other local officials during their sortie there on Wednesday.

“Ang isang napag-kwentuhan namin ni Governor kanina, nakakatuwa na ang isang isla katulad ng Guimaras nagpapadala pa ng pagkain sa labas ng isla. So, ibig sabihin magandang maging modelo ang Guimaras sa food sufficiency. They produce their own rice, in fact sobra pa nga. They reserve for the summer tapos nagpapadala pa sila sa Iloilo (The Governor and I have talked earlier on how Guimaras was able to send food outside the island. So this means that Guimaras is the ideal model for food sufficiency)," he said in a statement Thursday.

Guimaras is well known for its agricultural crops, particularly mangoes, where some 50,000 of these trees are planted.

The island is famous for producing some of the sweetest mangoes in the world thus earning the nickname "mango capital of the Philippines" from local and foreign tourists.

“So, that’s one food basket. Then, proper zoning. Meron silang (they have) ecozone, gateway zone, food basket zone, and tourism zone. Yun yung kinukwento ni Gov kanina (that was what Governor Gumarin told me earlier). Tapos they produce (they also produce) their own electricity through renewable energy at nasu-sustain nila ang kanilang (they can sustain their own) utility,” the 47-year-old presidential candidate said.

And if Guimaras can do it, Domagoso said this sufficiency can be replicated in other areas of the country.

Agriculture is one of the main pillars of Domagoso’s 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda, which will be his administration’s roadmap that will accelerate human and economic growth under his administration.

With Guimaras Island being a favored destination by both foreign and domestic tourists due to its picturesque beaches, waterfalls and springs, the Manila city mayor stressed that an “Isko Moreno presidency” will prioritize tourism and transportation industries to be able to provide more jobs to the people.

And if he becomes president, Domagoso maintains he will never resort to lockdowns whenever there is a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases because that will only make people’s lives miserable.

He added that under his administration, tourists will be welcomed but they should follow health protocols like testing, and vaccination. Domagoso also said the Philippines should learn to live with Covid-19 and go back to work safely.

"Why? Two years is enough for us to understand Covid, that there is a cycle of surge, may pagtaas, may pagbaba. May paglakas, may paghina (there are ups and downs, low and high). But what matters most is we should prepare,” he explained.

Domagoso added that building a national fiber-optic infrastructure to boost the country's communication capability such as internet and cellular phone will be a priority under his term.

Citing the Philippines' archipelagic geography, he said a stable and reliable internet connection is crucial to education, economic growth, and information dissemination during calamities.

The presidential aspirant also said he wants to see the project continuity and completion of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridges (PGNB), the 32-km mega bridge project connecting Panay, Guimaras, and Negros, which aims to allow easier access and convenient transportation between the three islands. (With Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)