PANDAYAN NG BAYAN SHOULD BECOME THE CENTERPIECE AGRICULTURE PROGRAM OF THE PHILIPPINES

PANDAYAN NG BAYAN SHOULD BECOME THE CENTERPIECE AGRICULTURE PROGRAM OF THE PHILIPPINES

For decades, the Philippines has spent billions of pesos on agricultural modernization. Tractors were distributed. Harvesters were turned over. Dryers, irrigation pumps, and farm equipment were delivered to cooperatives and farmers' groups nationwide. Yet despite these investments, we continue to hear the same complaints: lack of machinery, low productivity, poor post-harvest facilities, and high production costs.

What went wrong?

The answer is simple. We focused on distributing machines but neglected the systems needed to repair, maintain, and eventually manufacture them locally.

Across the country, many government-donated farm machines now sit idle and rusting. When a tractor breaks down, farmers often cannot afford the spare parts or technical services needed for repairs. The result is predictable: expensive equipment becomes useless long before its intended lifespan.

This is precisely why I believe that the Pandayan ng Bayan Program should become the centerpiece agriculture program of the Philippines.

Developed through the efforts of RU Foundry, the Central Philippines State University (CPSU), and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Pandayan ng Bayan concept offers something that many government programs have failed to provide: technological self-reliance.

A Pandayan begins as a simple community workshop where local residents learn welding, fabrication, repair, and machine maintenance. Over time, it can evolve into a machine shop and eventually into a small foundry capable of manufacturing agricultural machinery, irrigation equipment, post-harvest facilities, and other rural infrastructure.

Imagine if every province, city, and municipality had its own Pandayan.

Instead of waiting for imported machinery, farmers could fabricate what they need locally. Instead of depending on outside contractors, communities could construct components for farm-to-market roads, warehouses, drying facilities, irrigation systems, and processing centers. Instead of throwing away broken equipment, they could repair and improve it.

This is not merely farm modernization. This is rural industrialization.

The timing could not be better. Climate change, El Niño, and rising food prices continue to threaten our food security. At the same time, the country is receiving substantial support for agricultural transformation from international development partners. The challenge is ensuring that these resources create permanent capabilities rather than temporary projects.

Pandayan ng Bayan offers that opportunity.

Beyond machinery repair, the program encourages value addition. Why should farmers continue selling raw cassava when they can produce flour? Why sell fresh ube when they can manufacture ube powder? Why allow agricultural waste to accumulate when it can be converted into organic fertilizer, animal feeds, or renewable energy?

The economic benefits are enormous. Reduced production costs. Increased rural employment. Lower post-harvest losses. Greater food security. Stronger climate resilience.

Most importantly, it empowers farmers to become producers of technology rather than mere consumers of it.

I therefore respectfully suggest that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. elevate the Pandayan ng Bayan Program into a national priority through either an Executive Order or a law enacted by Congress. Such a measure should direct the Department of Agriculture to lead a whole-of-government approach involving the DOST, TESDA, DTI, CDA, SUCs, LGUs, DAR, and DPWH.

If implemented nationwide, Pandayan ng Bayan could become the missing link in Philippine agricultural modernization.

For too long, we have measured success by the number of machines distributed. Perhaps it is time to measure success by the number of communities that can build, repair, and innovate for themselves.

Agriculture does not need another imported miracle.

It needs a forge.

And that forge is the Pandayan ng Bayan.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres  iseneres@yahoo.com  senseneres.blogspot.com  09088877282/07-10-2027

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