Q:  Mr. President, magandang umaga po.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Good morning.

Q: Sir, maganda po ‘yung status ng production volume ng ating aquaculture base na rin sa datos ng PSA. Ang tanong ko po, Mr. President, how do we maintain itong magandang status ng ating aquaculture production amid the declaration of PAGASA ng El Niño phenomenon?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, we have to adjust to it in the sense that we must resign ourselves to the fact that that is the new normal.

Ganyan talaga ang magiging mga challenges na haharapin natin. So, we continue to improve the infrastructure. We continue to improve the systems.

The problem with the water I think is solvable when it comes to in terms of the livestock. Ang mahihirapan sa crops. Sa fisheries, hindi gaano, as you can imagine.

So, I think I’m confident that when it comes to livestock and the broilers, the hogs, and the cattle. If we are able – if we continue to be able to fix the systems and now of course ang pinakamalaking issue ay ‘yung ASF pa rin at saka yung Avian influenza.

So, dahan-dahan mukhang nakokontrol naman natin at ang nakikita natin maganda ang suplay dito sa atin ngayon. Hindi naman masyadong magalaw ‘yung presyo, medyo stable.

So, that’s why I think that as long as we continue to do this and develop more and take advantage of all these new vaccines that are coming, that are being rolled out, I think kakayanin natin i-sustain – hindi lamang i -sustain ito pero pagandahin pa natin, palakihin pa natin, make it more efficient, make it more streamlined.

Q: Salamat po, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Thank you.

Q: Magandang umaga po, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Good morning.

Q: May nabanggit po na grupo, VIEVA Group of Companies na hinihinalang smuggling group daw po at bukod pa po ba dito may iba pang grupo na pinapaimbestigahan ho ninyo at may deadline ho ba kayong binigay sa DOJ at NBI hinggil ho sa imbestigasyon na ito, sir?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Unang-una, hindi ako mahilig magbigay ng deadline. Siyempre gusto ko tapusin nila kaagad pero kailangan tapos hindi hilaw.

So, let them do their investigation. Wala naman partikular. Ang pinag-usapan – ang naging pagbasehan ‘yung naging problema na maliwanag na nagho-hoarding, na kinokontrol ang supply ng sibuyas.

Ngunit ang utos ko sa DOJ at saka sa NBI, ika ko sa kanila ay kailangan malaman ninyo na hindi lamang sa sibuyas kung hindi pa ‘yung mga sindikato – marami talagang sindikato eh na nag-o-operate pa para habulin na natin, matigil ‘yung kanilang ginagawa.

At sa aking pananaw at sa palagay ko ‘yung mga abogado natin ay sasang-ayon naman siguro sa akin – ang sa aking pananaw, ‘yung kanilang ginagawa amounts to economic sabotage. Kaya’t ‘yun ang aming – ‘yun ang aming direksyon dito sa pag-imbestiga na ito.

Kaya’t hindi natin basta’t pabayaan ito dahil may ginugutom na Pilipino, may namamatay from starvation and poverty ang Pilipino dahil sa kanilang ginagawa.

Kaya’t hindi maaari nilang ituloy ‘yung kanilang ginagawa. Tama na ‘yan at titigilin na natin ‘yung kanilang masasayang ginagawa dati.

Q: Good morning Mr. President.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Good morning.

Q: Sir, bumaba pong muli ang inflation rate para sa buwan ng Hunyo. Ano po ‘yung mga ginagawa ng administrasyon para magtuloy-tuloy ito at kailan mararamdaman ng publiko?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, kung maalala ninyo nung – talagang nagtaasan ‘yan noong Enero, Pebrero ay agricultural products ay isang napakalaking bahagi nung ating inflation rate.

Kaya’t naman itong mga ganitong klaseng mga komperensiya, ganitong klaseng pagsasama at – to exchange ideas na ginagawa ngayon, ito ay mahalaga dahil we are helping the agricultural – the producers of agricultural commodities to lower the price, to make more efficient all their production, and also to take full advantage of the new technologies.

Nakita naman natin ‘yung nandoon ‘yung mga naka-display. Hindi lamang ‘yung mga makinarya. Hindi lamang ‘yung mga infrastructure, kung hindi pati na ‘yung mga breeding, pati na ‘yung mga – paano ‘yung mga pag-consolidate. All of these we are trying to put together.

And I really believe that it is a large part of why the inflation rate has begun to come down. And we just – if we… Like for sugar, for example, was a very, very high component of our inflation rate now.

Now that we have been able to stabilize the price of sugar by making a very clear schedule of importation, making very clear schedule of assignment of the importation and where it goes to the industrial, if it goes to food.

This is a kind of thing that is helping to bring down the inflation rate. That’s why doing this, improving the technologies, helping our farmers, at both ends of that value chain, there is an advantage because the farmers will make more money because they’re spending less because they are more efficient.

At the same time, that price level will translate all the way to the consumer na at least stable and we can plan, and we know exactly.

We will try of course to continue to bring it down but that requires our success in increasing our production, making it more efficient.

And again, the value chain that I am always talking about ad infinitum already but it’s really the answer.

Thank you. Magandang umaga sa inyo.

— END —

SOURCE: PCO-PND (Presidential News Desk)