Air Force C-130 aircraft may soon fly for Philippine Food Skyway

From Update.Ph (Feb 23): Air Force C-130 aircraft may soon fly for Philippine Food Skyway

The Philippine Food Skyway Project was endorse by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said in a statement released in his official networking page. Piñol said this project that will utilize Philippine Air Force C-130 Cargo Transport aircraft is a longtime dream that he has nurtured.

“In a meeting which Speaker Alvarez called in Congress yesterday (February 19) attended by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform Rafael Mariano, National Irrigation Administrator Peter Laviña, the Undersecretary of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Congressman Arthur Yap of Bohol and other agencies involved in food production, the issue of the very high cost of transport of fruits and other high value products was discussed,” Piñol said.

On the said topic, Piñol said Alvarez “proposed the use of Air Force C-130 Cargo Planes to bring Mindanao’s fruits to Metro Manila, Baguio’s vegetables to the Visayas and Mindanao, and the fish from Zamboanga, Basilan, Tawitawi and Sulu to Cebu and Manila.”

“That was when I told Speaker Alvarez that his proposal was what I have long been suggesting to the national government – a concept of moving goods from one island to another in the country using cargo planes which I called the Philippine Food Skyway,” he said.

Piñol said Speaker Alvarez noted the Department of Agriculture does not have to buy the cargo planes as the Philippine Air Force could be directed by President Rody Duterte to undertake the transporting of the products.

“He said he will endorse to President Duterte the immediate implementation of the program, especially since the season of fruits in the Southern Philippines will start in August of this year,” Piñol said.

“With this development, the people of Baguio City will soon have an abundant supply of fresh fruits from Davao and fish and crabs from the Island Provinces,” the Agri chief said. “The people of the South soon will also have plenty of the Cordillera’s fresh vegetables and strawberries.”

http://www.update.ph/2017/02/air-force-c-130-aircraft-may-soon-fly-for-philippine-food-skyway/14750