THE House Committee on Agriculture and Food chaired by Quezon Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga on Wednesday tasked the panel’s committee secretary to craft a substitute bill to House Bills 3247 and 7045, both seeking to establish a national program for the comprehensive development of the malunggay industry.
Enverga said the proposed national program for the comprehensive development of the malunggay industry aims to promote malunggay as a source of livelihood for poverty alleviation, maximize its utilization for health and nutrition, improve the investment climate and boost the competency and efficiency of malunggay businesses.
HB 3247 authored by AAMBIS OWA Party-list Rep. Lex Anthony Cris Colada seeks to establish the Malunggay Development Industry Committee (MDIC) to be chaired by the Department of Agriculture secretary.
The MDIC shall coordinate with various groups to organize malunggay producers, processors, producers and suppliers, domestic and international marketers, traders as well as allied and related industries into an umbrella organization, formulate the industry’s development framework to guide the formulation and implementation of plans, programs and projects for the advancement of the industry, establish the Malunggay Industry Development Fund to finance the programs and projects to develop the industry, among others.
Enverga noted the crucial participation of the DILG and DSWD in the proposed MDIC.
On the other hand, HB 7045, authored by Cavite Rep. Aniela Bianca Tolentino, seeks the comprehensive planning, development and export promotion of the moringa, locally known as malunggay and providing funds therefor.
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Enverga instructed the committee secretary to draft the substitute bill based on that day’s Committee discussions, where lawmakers, officials and representatives of various offices and organizations gave their inputs on the two measures.
Dr. Richard Nixon Gomez, general manager of Bauertek Farmaceutical Technologies, said the malunggay industry holds vast potential because of the plants’ nutritional, medical, agricultural and economic benefits.
“It is estimated that by year 2030, (the malunggay industry) will be an USD18-billion industry. Malunggay is very easy to plant. Just get a seed, itusok sa gilid ng bahay, tutubo. Pumutol ng sanga, tutubo… whether it is nutritional or not (is no longer an issue). Ginagamit ng lahat ng tao (ang malunggay) sa Pilipinas. Majority of the malunggay powder in the Philippines are imported. The Philippines imports thousands of tons annually of malunggay powder from China, Vietnam, and other countries when our climate is totally suited for the agriculture of malunggay,” Gomez said.
Oriental Mindoro Rep. Arnan Panaligan identified the need for a robust domestic pharmaceutical industry that can supply the country’s medicines and vaccines as one of the lessons of the pandemic.
“I hope this bill will provide the impetus for the development of the malunggay industry in our country,” he sai
