Discouraged by disincentives

function when it comes to the implementation of agricultural laws. Like for example the implementation of Republic Act 10000, or the Agri- Agra Credit Reform Act, which amended the toothless PD 27 of Mr. Marcos. The RA was supposed to make sure that real funds — 25 percent of the loan portfolios of the banks — go

the so-called “alternative compliance” provisions of the toothless PD are mostly done away with.

Let us now look at the level of lending to the three sectors. Last year, only P573 billion went to agri- agra lending. Full compliance could have plowed P1.034 trillion into agri-agra loans. Not a pipsqueak was heard from the oversight lords of Congress.

The Land Bank of the Philippines, the fourth largest bank in the country, was supposed to lead the lending to small farmers,

lending heavily to agriculture, only not to the three sectors. The Land Bank lends heavily to Big Agri, to agricultural contract growers, to big grains traders and the like.

lend to the three sectors only on paper. The LBP has been issuing press statements on its supposed commitment to the three sectors but it is all a scam. The real lending goes to Big Agri and it is papered over to make it look as small-scale lending.

No one in Congress, the oversight lords in particular, has noticed the Land Bank scam.

Many members of the two chambers of Congress are also key players in land banking, which means the massive accumulation of land for real estate development. In press statements, they play hero and savior of agriculture. In real life, they are behind the conversion of hundreds of thousands of hectares of agricultural lands into subdivision lands.

What about the much-hyped programs of government, the Free Irrigation Law in particular? The law’s implementation side has run into a gauntlet of problems. Right now, there are so-called IAs, or irrigators associations, that maintain the irrigation ditches and canals. The IAs make sure that there is order and symmetry in the distribution of irrigation water as they set the schedules and the rules.

With the IAs gone under the law, who will maintain the irrigation infrastructure? Who will set the schedule on who gets the irrigation water for the day? There will be total chaos without the IAs and this is a very contentious issue that needs an urgent solution.

The only thing I remember about the contribution of Congress to agriculture was the Napoles scam. Janet Lim Napoles registered dozens of supposed farm cooperatives and farm organizations that received around P10 billion in pork barrel funds.

Around 40 percent of the money went to the “farm coops” of Napoles — which meant her own pocket — and 60 percent went to the senators and congressmen that participated wholeheartedly in the scam. The implementing agencies in the executive branches abetted the scam.

It is so far the most heinous scam in Philippine congressional history. Recently, there was even a deliberate effort to exonerate Napoles and turn her into a Makapili.