People of Mountain Province are industrious and contented with simple living - Former DA Sec. Manny Piñol

Photo Courtesy || Mayor Ganggangan & Manny Pinol

Cordillera - Former Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Manny Piñol has admired the people of Mountain Province following the good deeds of the Mayor of Sadanga, refusing the food packs offered by the government. 

He said that the people of Mountain Province are industrious and contented with simple living, although they are poor. 

"I have been to the Mountain Province several times as Secretary of Agriculture. It is a poor province which was selected to be given additional funding under the Special Area of Agricultural Development (SAAD) program of the Department of Agriculture," Piñol said.

"They are poor but the people of Mountain Province are industrious and contended with simple living," he added.

He compared the attitude of the people of Mountain province to a man he saw on social media who threw a bag of rice in front of his home in a subdivision saying that it was not enough.

Piñol's comment came after reading the story of Sadanga Mayor Ganggangan who waived his municipality's relief packs to be given to other areas who are more needy of food assistance.

Mayor Ganggangan explained that waiving of food packs does not mean that that there are no poor and needy families in their municipality. However, its "built in" and homegrown or indigenous  social structure, values, and practice of taking care of their respective relatives, kins, neighbors, or kailyan in distress will work to sustain the need of the people during crisis.

The former DA Sec. wished the Philippines had more Mayors like Ganggangan and people like the iSadangga who are "poor but proud and self-respecting".

"Imagine this, If all the well-to-do families would just refuse the food aid, then President Rody Duterte and the national government do not need to crack their heads finding funds to sustain the relief efforts," Piñol said.

source || Manny Piñol FB