Farm Life: Young Farmer's Dream

The Philippines is now taking on the challenge of how it could revive the glorious days when it was once an Asian leader in Agriculture, back in the 1960s, when our parents' or grandparents' generation was born.

It's alarming to see the rice industry, a key part of our agricultural sector, in a state of decline. The 2018 report revealed that it contributes very little to our economy, a stark contrast to its former glory. This not only reflects a failure to improve our agricultural industry but also a failure to uplift the lives of our farmers. The younger generation's lack of interest in farming and their reluctance to inherit this noble profession from their parents is a worrying trend. 

Reviving interest in Agriculture

Farming requires a lot of effort, time, and patience, and these could be the reasons why our youth choose to pursue non-agricultural studies as their profession. Another reason could be the misconception that there are no better opportunities in agriculture and that it is not highly profitable compared to working as a corporate employee in a big company.

I may belong to the Healthcare sector as my primary profession, but I am interested in agriculture and looking forward to embracing a farm life. Back in 2008, just after I graduated from college, I was able to help my parents in their business of buying rice grains (unmilled) from our local rice farmers. I was a cashier back then, and it gave me a sense of joy to see them receiving their hard-earned money from their produce. I reminisced about when I was just a young kid playing in a rice field during the harvest season, and as I grew up, I learned to appreciate and express my gratitude to our farmers. Our local rice farmers made a significant contribution to my college education. Also, the money they receive from their products is to finance the education of their own children. 

The Future of Agriculture 

Nowadays, we see agricultural farms converted into shopping malls and subdivisions or townhouses, which were acquired by our farmers. If this is our present reality, we must be alarmed, as we will soon be losing the farmland that gives us food to eat and finances our children's education. We can never control the future and its fast development, but we can do something if we learn to cultivate love in the soil, which will reap greater rewards. 

Agripreneurship or Agribiz is now the trend in the hope of reviving our love for Agriculture. We have heard some inspiring stories of former OFWs who started farming in their province and became wealthy. We have heard about a former corporate employee who turned to farming and earned a better income. We also have people in the city who are now into urban farming despite the limited lot area, and it is their source of organic food on the table. These success stories show us that there is a bright future in agripreneurship, and it is a trend that can bring new life to our agricultural sector. 

Farm tourism is the Next Big thing.

As we grow our love and passion for Agriculture, we also get to share it with people through farm tourism, which is a tremendous societal contribution. If there is a strawberry farm in La Trinidad, a grape farm in La Union, and Garin Farm in Iloilo, then you could own the newest farm destination, and you can help promote your town and the province by attracting tourists to visit and patronize the farm produce and various farm activities. 

Support our young farmers

Let us continue to support our Agricultural sector so that our younger generation will appreciate what their parents have started. Let us help revive our school of agriculture to allow students to acquire quality education and become the next agriculturist and "agripreneur" who will bring quality and healthy food to our table. Let us continue to hear The Voices of Filipino Farmers so that they will be more empowered. It's our collective responsibility to ensure that the future of agriculture is in good hands, and supporting our young farmers is a crucial part of that commitment.

The farming lifestyle may be challenging, but it is gaining attention from the young ones, and many people in rural and urban areas are still attracted to it. It's easy to believe that the future is in Agriculture, and there is a future in Agriculture, and that future starts today. The potential of the farming lifestyle is immense, and it's a career path that can inspire and motivate the younger generation to consider a future in agriculture.

© 2019 Del Cusay

Social Commentary: Universal Healthcare for All Filipinos

It was in August 2018 that I fell in line to pay for my sister and her family's annual Philhealth contribution. I was glad to see hundreds of people who were there to invest in health insurance in exchange for good Healthcare benefits offered by the agency.  As a healthcare worker, I have pledged not only to the healing of sick people but also to become an advocate for health promotion and prevention. That time, as I was seated on a chair to wait for my priority number to flash on the screen, I had a realization that people, no matter their economic status, are now becoming more aware of the advantages of having a healthy family that is free of illnesses and diseases and becoming a productive contributor in the society. 

But how about those individuals or families without access to primary healthcare due to economic hardship? They may feel ineligible and intimidated by their Healthcare rights and remain vulnerable to health crises and threats. The current healthcare system often leaves these individuals behind, unable to afford the care they need. The Universal Healthcare Act aims to address these issues, ensuring that all Filipinos can access the healthcare they need regardless of their economic status. 

I'm relieved and reassured that on February 20, 2019, the Universal Healthcare Act was finally enacted, granting all Filipinos access to affordable and better healthcare. This is a significant measure that instills confidence in our health and well-being, leading to a more secure and productive society. 

Talking about the agency that has the mandate for its implementation, the Philippine Health Insurance Company or Philhealth will have to ensure the automatic eligibility and membership of all Filipinos regardless of social and economic standing, more excellent service for our less privileged families and individuals. 

The Fight for Universal Healthcare

This new law is not just an achievement of the legislative and executive bodies but also a testament to the united efforts of all Filipinos who have long hoped for this initiative. We should all be proud of this collective achievement.

Just imagine how Western countries could give Universal Healthcare to their citizens, which started several years or decades ago, and why couldn't our government do the same? This has been a puzzle to other Filipinos who have witnessed the healthcare status in a foreign country, as well as me. 

Now, our time has come, but the implementing rules and regulations of the new law have yet to be laid. We have to be aware of Healthcare coverage, how we can truly benefit from it, and when we will start to benefit from it. 

Benefits of the Universal Healthcare Law

Philhealth can guarantee essential healthcare services exist, as well as premium contributors, indirect contributors, or indigents like our senior citizens and persons with disabilities and non-indigent or non-premium contributors. That would mean free consultation, laboratory tests, and diagnostic tests are among the essential services covered by everyone. Almost all scope of health includes preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care, giving everyone holistic health and wellness. 

Sustainable Healthcare development 

Although we welcome the extraordinary healthcare measures, we have yet to experience how they will be delivered. The funding source has been determined, and the implementation of this new law will be gradual, considering that the funding will come from a pool of different agency funds. 

The new law is very promising. However, we would also like to see its tremendous success and development from now and in years to come and not be exploited and mismanaged by our people in the healthcare authority. 

Issues in the Philippine Health Insurance

Our National Health Insurance Company, Philhealth, and private Health Management Organizations (HMO) have been delivering their healthcare services in partnership with our Healthcare institutions, hospitals, clinics, and health centers nationwide. They have always been to the rescue whenever we seek medical help. However, their insurance coverage needs to be more comprehensive as they do not cover all health conditions and other health services. This has been a challenge for those who couldn't afford or have financial difficulty seeking medical attention. 

While working at The Medical City in Iloilo, I learned about issues like non-payment or delay of payment of Philhealth for hospital claims to several member hospitals in the country. This would also cause a delay in the hospitals paying their medical providers. This has led to another issue: some medical providers would charge their clients an additional cash payment for a professional fee already covered by Philhealth. This issue happened to my sister, and she asserted her rights against the double charging of her provider.  This scenario will cause the loss of confidence of other Philhealth members if such a case happens to them, which is against the primary goal of Philhealth's mandate to lessen the financial burden of Filipinos upon seeking medical treatment. 

Continuous Healthcare reform 

The Universal Healthcare law is a good start in providing healthcare access to all Filipinos. This measure will prevent anyone from being excluded and left behind in healthcare services due to poor economic status. 

However, challenges in Government and corporate social service are still something Filipinos must fight to achieve better healthcare. 

For Philhealth, may the agency uphold good governance and update its policies and coverage to package benefits that are not selective to a particular medical condition. This is a burden to the Filipino people because we do not choose the kind of disease once it strikes just to be covered by our insurance provider. We need to decide when to get sick and when to get treated. We don't select the end of our physical suffering and the end of our life. 

We don't have control over our health crisis, but we can do something to promote it and prevent it so we will not suffer and pay for its consequences. We must take good care of our health to avoid illnesses and diseases. Though inevitable, we can help ourselves, our families, and our communities by choosing a healthy lifestyle away from too much stress and vices to achieve health and longevity, leading to the productive citizens we can be.

As we continue to contribute to nation-building, we have to be respectfully assertive of our healthcare bill of rights and, at the same time, supportive of our Government's mandate to provide better healthcare to All Filipinos so we can achieve wellness and live extraordinary lives.

© 2019 Del Cusay

Social Commentary: The Voice of the Filipino Farmers

Philippine Agriculture, a once thriving sector, was a source of pride for our nation. It excelled in providing high-quality agricultural products to every Filipino, a testament to the active and strategic partnership between our farmers and the Government. 

We were an agricultural leader in Asia back then, and our Agricultural Scientists used to share their expertise in rice farming with other Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand.

I remember back in the late '80s when we used to play by throwing mud in the newly plowed rice field just after the harvest season when rice farming was the primary source of livelihood for most families in our town. Whenever we visit other barangays from the town center, we get to breathe in the fresher air passing through the green fields of newly planted rice during the planting season, while during the dry season, just before the harvest in March or April, the field turns into a beautiful golden brown grain of rice.

Those days were when rice farming was a robust industry and highly profitable for farmers and traders who bought and sold rice. Those were also the busy days for my parents to make a living as rice traders in our town, lasting about 2 decades.

As a kid, it was hard to compete for attention with our parents on busy days when they bought hundreds of sacks of rice from our local farmers, but that was also a good time for play whenever the rice was already stacked in our warehouse—the kind of play that some kids of today may not relate to. Those were the past and some of the happiest moments worth remembering.

Challenges in the Agriculture 

Starting in the new millennium, several challenges emerged in our Agricultural sector, especially in the rice industry. There were corruption issues with the Agriculture Department and the National Food Authority, a Government agency that regulates and maintains sufficient rice supplies for the staple food of Filipinos. Other problems include a lack of government support for farming machinery like pre and post-harvest facilities, conversion of agricultural land to residential or industrial, and the low trade price of rice production from the farmers due to the proliferation of rice cartels.

In recent years, our Government has faced even more challenges, like increasing the price of commercial rice due to artificially low supply against its high demand to feed millions of Filipinos. With the lack of agricultural facilities, we cannot produce the best quality and quantity of rice, leading to lesser productivity and profitability for our rice farmers.

The Rice Tarrification Law

Fast forward to 2019, just recently on February 15, when the Rice Tarrification Bill was enacted to deregulate rice importation by private businessmen and individuals from countries like Thailand and Vietnam. The law also restricted the NFA's power to regulate and import rice, and they would just maintain enough rice stocks for calamities. One of the best promises in the revised law is the annual 10 billion peso Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund for 6 years. It will be assessed whether to continue or change the measure. The RCEF is a common fund that will come from the rice import taxes that are said to be given to farmers to address the existing challenges in rice production, like the purchase of farm machinery, to provide credit or loan service to farmers for skills development in farming.

The effect on our rice farmers

While the new law aims to address the current inflation and make rice more affordable for poor families, it also poses a challenge for our local rice farmers. They may struggle to sell their produce at a fair price, potentially forcing them to continue rice farming out of necessity.

While the influx of cheaper commercial rice may benefit Filipino consumers, the promises of the new law may not be as reassuring as they appear. We must remain vigilant, remembering past agricultural scams, and ensure that the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund is not misused or becomes another form of corruption.

If there's an existing corruption in the Agricultural sector that remains a culture, the new law shouldn't be at the expense of our local farmers. The need for government support is urgent. Although we can give a new direction a chance for its benefits, I still feel for the unheard voices of our farmers. I am a rice farmer's son, and I have seen the hardship of our farmers who sweat it out under the sun even though the rain gives us a staple food to eat on our table. Our farmers deserve to have a better life through the full support of our government from laws and programs that would help improve their most significant source of livelihood.

We want to see something other than one day, our farmlands, previously owned by ordinary farmers, will become a gated community or townhouse owned by an oligarch. We want our country to retain agricultural scientists who prefer to work abroad for a greener pasture. We want our future children to be interested in farming studies and activities. And we want to avoid seeing our farmers dying because they need something to eat. After all, the government killed the rice farming industry.

As I return home to our hometown, another previously farmland townhouse might rise, and another hectare for private houses along the road might be built. This happens when farmers sell their land to real estate developers for residential or industrial development.

In a few years, our next generation might not be able to enjoy the greenfields and golden brown rice harvests that we used to enjoy—those years of pure happiness away from modernity and technology that the present time has embraced. In a few years, we will gradually be shifting from agricultural to industrial, and the vast farmland and lush greeneries will be a thing of the past.

Let us help save our Agricultural sector by hearing the voices of our farmers, who are the source and significant producers of our food on the table. Let us patronize local produce and learn to appreciate and embrace agriculture in our modern way of living to help our farmers thrive and live the decent and comfortable lives they deserve.

© 2019 Del Cusay