Camp Olivas, City of San Fernando, Pampanga- To further strengthen its intervention against COVID-19, Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) launched the Kalig-Kasan Eco-Park, Food Highway and Rektang Bayanihan Food Bank projects in support to the “Balik Probinsiya” program of Senator Lawrence “Bong” Go on Monday.
Department of Agriculture Secretary Dr William D. Dar together with the Chief PNP PGen Archie Gamboa graced the said activities witnessed by some provincial governor from the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Central Luzon.
PRO3 Regional Director PBGen. Rhodel Sermonia said these projects are designed to protect the environment, nurture and harness it to ensure food resilience in police installations and the communities they serve.
“Our Kalig-kasan Eco-Park is a good stress reliever since it enables us to commune with nature and help boost our immune system which is a way to fight COVID-19, while our Food Highway Project and PRO3 Food Bank are strategic mechanisms that can alleviate problems that may be encountered from end-to-end of the food supply system under the New Normal dispensation, “ Sermonia said.
He said thru the creation of an express lane and logistics system, they will have a rapid and secured movement of food products from the farmers and other food producers of Central Luzon to the buyers of NCR and other parts of the country at the same time the food supply in Region 3 will be sufficient and continuously sustained.
The activity was also highlighted with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine National Police, Department of Agriculture and other stakeholders and concerned agencies for said projects.
After the MOU signing, RDC provincial governors led by its chairman Bataan Governor Albert Garcia together with Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando and Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane of Zambales and other manufacturers/ producers and other agri-industry players in Central Luzon also signed a pledge of commitment declaring their unwavering support to Executive Order 114 the “Balik Probinsiya Bagong pag-asa Program of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Senator Go and the other impact programs of the PRO3 relative to the E.O. 114.
In his message delivered by Sermonia, Senator Go said the anticipated social and economic impingement brought by the pandemic Covid-19 to the urban poor, industrial and agricultural workers give rise to President Duterte’s enactment of EO 114.
Agriculture secretary for his part regarding the country’s health emergency situation said, “In order to flaten the curve, dapat bigyandiin itong tatlong “T”… Test, Test, Test. We hope that the countrywill reach the level of 30,000 a day the ability to get through the rapid testing using the PCR base machines”.
“We don’t want a second wave, we don’t want a third wave but seem to it now that this period of the fight against the covid pandemic will see to it that it does not ressurect again,” the secretary added.
He said, the food resilience program is very important to be made available to the basic requirements of every filipino.
“Ensuring food security is a must and very important but as well nationwide we have to alevate our game in making it possible that the food sufficiency level n this country must be higher than before,” Dar said.