Celebrity ambassador exposes DA’s failure to “beat the food security gap” – group

Celebrity ambassador exposes DA’s failure to “beat the food security gap” – group

Manila, Philippines — “No amount of pretty face can conceal the department’s bad image and deodorize its failure to resolve the agricultural crisis in the country. It seems that the agriculture department has nothing more substantial to offer that they even tapped a famous celebrity to cover-up its neglect to the needs of farmers and fisherfolks,” This was the reaction of the militant fishers group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng PIlipinas (PAMALAKAYA) on Wednesday, in reaction to the appointment of actor and model James Reid as the new food security ambassador by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a statement, the fisherfolk chided the DA’s “mass deception by exploiting an innocent celebrity for its publicity gimmick”.

“We have nothing against Mr. Reid, it’s the DA capitalizing a personality for public image we are angry about. We expected the DA to beat the food security gap, not assign a poster boy that would less likely address the crisis that our agriculture and fisheries is facing,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson said in a statement.

Advertiser of the brand of chocolate drink’s famous champ moves “Beat the Energy Gap”, Mr. Reid was challenged by PAMALAKAYA to “deepen its understanding and knowledge in the agriculture sector through integration with rural communities and attending discussions along with the farmers and fisherfolks.”

“We actually appreciate and welcome Mr. Reid’s interest in agriculture. We are humbly encouraging him to grasp the real situation of the Filipino farmers and fisherfolks and genuinely advocate for their welfare,” Hicap, former Anakpawis Party-list Representative added.

“Our communities are more than willing to host an immersion program for him so he could understand why despite being an agriculture and archipelagic country, farmers and fishers remain the poorest sectors,” ended Hicap. ###

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