Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap lamented about the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the field implementation of the GMA program.
According to Yap, the report was centered only on the alleged anomalies by local-government employees, instead of giving a full picture by also including the GMA’s successes.
The “scam” reports focused on fake farmers’ signatures and discrepancies in the amount of fertilizer released to beneficiaries, with the implementers not strictly adhering to the one bag per hectare scheme for the seed subsidy.
Yap revealed that some of the GMA successes include the following: 95 percent of farmer-beneficiaries said the new technology had increased their rice production; 95 percent of farmers who adopted the new farming technology said the rice seeds they received were of good quality; and that 59 percent of beneficiaries reported that agricultural technicians did come to visit them during the crop season.
Yap said such successes should also be reported; and that performing local-level workers should also be recognized for their dedication to duty. (PIA/Bohol)
