Piñol not running for Senate seat

MALAPATAN, Sarangani – Agricuture Secrtary Manny Piñol has doused cold water over speculations that he was gunning for a senatorial seat in next year’s mid-term elections.

Piñol, who graced the Indigenous People’s summit here on Friday, said that he had no plans of running for a Senate seat , adding that he was just on frequent trips around around the country as part of his mandate as Agriculture secretary.

“I’m just doing my job as Agriculture secretary this has nothing to do with politics,” said Piñol, former governor of North Cotabato.

Reports had earlier indicated that Piñol was being considered to join the senatorial ticket of the ruling administration party Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDPLaban)

However, it has been reported that some local officials in North Cotabato has been persuading Piñol to run for governor in 2019 after he was appointed by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as provincial chairman of the PDP Laban ruling party in the province.

If that happens, Piñol will be facing his political arch-rival incumbent Gov. Lala Talino-Mendoza, a local stalwart of Liberal Party.

Piñol launched here the Department of Agriculture’s flagship programs for IP groups dubbed Kabuhayan, Kaunlaran para s amga Kapatid na Katutubo (4K) which provides livelihood for the marginalized IP groups through agro-based production projects including coffee and cacao plantation in areas covered by Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC).

He said the DA will provide planting materials for the IP beneficiaries and tie up with agri-business corporations to buy the agri-products from the IP groups.

The DA chief assured IP leaders here that the DA will allot the slot for some 100 IP families here who will be given priority to vail of the 4K program.

He said DA has already allocated some P47 million as loan assistance for local farmers belonging to IP groups in Sarangani.