The Half Desolation Of PH Agriculture In The Eyes Of Rene E Ofreneo, BusinessMirror

On Facebook, someone shares the link to the column of Rene E Ofreneo in the BusinessMirror (29 August 2019, businessmirror.com.ph). "The Desolation Of PHL Agriculture: Can Secretary Dar Reverse Its Continuing Stagnation?" Using the image of glass from International IDEA above, reading him I can plainly see Mr Ofreneo plainly sees the glass half-empty – and ignores the glass half-full! 

Mr Ofreneo's very first sentence of 12 words summarizes what he has to say in all of his 900-word column: "Indicators of the collapse of Philippine agriculture are not difficult to find." Certainly, if you set your heart to it, you will find the missing who-what-where-when-why-how to prove that the glass is indeed half-empty!

And so, Mr Ofreneo's glass is empty of "The New Thinking for Agriculture" that Secretary of Agriculture William Dar has been talking about even days before he assumed office on 05 August 2019 (see my essay, "William Dar – We Need New Thinking For Agriculture. FAH – I Have Faith!" 01 August 2019, Ani Kitá, ianikita.blogspot.com). Also, Mr Dar has been talking about it in his columns at the Manila Times.

And so, Mr Ofreneo's glass is empty of the "strategy built around eight paradigms that also make up "The 'New Thinking' For Agriculture," in the words of Mr Dar. The paradigms are Mr Dar's framework for his use as the new Team Captain of PH Agriculture in a series of inclusive development games. These paradigms are (as simplified in my essay, "William Dar Is Agriculture Secretary & DA Is All Over The Place – So Is Science!" 07 August 2019, Ani Kitá, ianikita.blogspot.com):

(1)   Modernization of agriculture
(2)   Industrialization of agriculture
(3)   Promotion of exports
(4)   Farm consolidation
(5)   Roadmap development
(6)   Infrastructure development
(7)   Higher budget and investments for agriculture, and
(8)   Legislative support.

And so, Mr Ofreneo's glass is empty of how to modernize PH Agriculture, industrialize agriculture, promote exports, consolidate farms, what roadmaps to develop, what infrastructure are needed, what constitutes higher budgets from government and higher investments from the private sector, and what constitutes legislative support.

On the other hand, Mr Ofreneo's glass is half-full of mentions of these:

Official statistics indicate growing agricultural trade deficits, declining GDP share, and grinding rural poverty everywhere. Most worrisome, there are reports in various regions that there is an acute shortage of agricultural workers because majority of the millennials and those belonging to the younger generation Z have been avoiding farm work like a plague. The Philippine farming population is aging and fading away.

And so Mr Ofreneo's glass is half-empty of "How will the newly-appointed DA Secretary William Dar handle this challenge? Will he end up like Secretary Manny (Piñol), who waged a losing fight against the economic technocrats who pushed for the all-out liberalization of the rice sector without any clear transition program for the domestic palay producers?"

Mr Ofreneo, now watch me as I toast to us all a glassful of sweet fresh coconut juice to the bright future of PH Agriculture!@517