Cebu Province prioritizing agriculture once pandemic is over

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said Thursday, August 6, that Cebu Province would redirect its resources to expanding its agriculture industry once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

“We cannot be spending all of our resources on just sustaining lockdowns. We are looking forward to a brighter and better tomorrow. And as we do that, we are focusing on agriculture, agri-business,” she said during her speech for the 451st Charter Day Commemoration of the Province of Cebu.

Garcia said that the Cebu Provincial Government has met with representatives from the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Philippine Veterans Bank, and the Development Bank of the Philippines on opening agricultural funds for small to large-scale farms.

“In order to progress, we will be moving outside into our towns and cities and bringing development in the countryside,” she added.

Dubbed as Enhanced Countryside Development, Garcia first announced in April the province’s thrust in agriculture. She said in previous interviews that among the “lessons learned” by the province amid the pandemic was the importance of self-sufficiency in food production.

In her speech, Garcia also said that the province was still determined to accomplish the priority projects under its P12B 2020 budget. Among them are infrastructure, roads, bridges, and water systems.

Unlike in her previous state of the province speeches which were full of details, Garcia only briefly mentioned the increase in assets – from P34B in 2018 to P202B in 2019.

Earlier, she said she was not giving a SOPA as the province continued to reel against the pandemic.

Currently, Cebu Province is under modified general community quarantine – the most relaxed risk status. It’s total number of COVID-19 cases now stands at 1,951 with 718 active cases and 114 deaths and 1,119 recoveries. – Rappler.com