Various stakeholders in the agri-fishery sector organized themselves to speak with one voice with each of the five presidential candidates in the coming May 9 elections who aspire to succeed outgoing President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III. To get their message across to incoming policy-makers, they formed a coalition. After consultations with their respective memberships, they gathered and “unanimously” approved the key areas of concern for the agri-fishery sector and the recommended measures to address each. Calling their coalition the Agri-Fisheries Alliance, they identified six “priority issues” that the five presidential candidates “should address in a strategic manner.” But being a newly organized group, they find difficulty seeking an audience with any of the five presidential wannabes. Thus, they sought to air their side through media in our Kapihan sa Manila Bay last Wednesday held at Café Adriatico in Malate, Manila.

Villanueva, M. A. (2016, March 4). Failed experiment at DA. The Philippine Star, p. A-14.