MARIVELES, Bataan - Secretary Emmanuel Piñol of the
Department of Agriculture (DA) has belied here the report that Cabinet
Secretary Leoncio Evasco, Jr. briefed last Friday some members of the Cabinet
about President Rodrigo Duterte's medical condition.
“Malakas pa sa kalabaw ang Presidente, walang Cabinet meeting. Hindi pa
naman ako naaalis sa gabinete, (The President is stronger than a carabao. There
was no Cabinet meeting and I am not yet removed from the Cabinet)," Piñol
said in his visit here Tuesday afternoon.
He said that the Health Secretary should have briefed them and not
Evasco.
A newspaper columnist wrote that highly informed sources said Evasco
made the briefing with some Cabinet members.
Meanwhile, on rice production, Piñol said that he was just informed
Tuesday morning before he came to Bataan by officials of the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) of
the increase in harvest nationwide from 4.15 metric tons (MT) per hectare to
4.28 MT.
“This means that it is 1.28 metric tons higher than the previous
national average of 3.9 MT,” he said.
Piñol, however, said that despite the good record of harvest, the
country still has to import rice but at a lesser volume.
"The shortfall has declined. It means that the previous national
importation volume of 1.8 million MT has decreased now. Based on the IRRI
study, the expected importation this year is only between 500,000 to 800,000
metric tons," he said.
Based on the study of IRRI, rice consumption of Filipinos became lower
while production increases, he said.
“We are expecting bumper harvest this wet season as long as the weather
condition continues to become favorable,” he said.
The Agriculture secretary led the groundbreaking of the PHP21.7-million
ice plant and cold storage in barangay Batangas Dos here.
He also distributed farm and fishing implements and materials to
farmers and fisherfolk. (PNA)
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