SENATOR Francis Pangilinan believes that lasting peace will be achieved in Mindanao if the government succeeds in transforming the region as the nation’s ‘true food basket.’

He urged the administration to further develop the agricultural sector in Mindanao to discourage poor individuals to rebel against the government as the government peace panel and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front wrap up their exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur.

“One of the main causes of insurgency is high incidence of poverty. The government must map out a plan that would, in time and with the cooperation of all stakeholders, develop Mindanao as the nation's true food basket,” said Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.

He added: “What our people in the rural areas need are sustainable agricultural programs that can help feed our people and give our farmers and fisherfolk dignity in their professions. Then maybe they will no longer be encouraged to take up arms.”

“We first need to end this decades-old war. This war has already cost us over P100 billion pesos in the past four decades. Should the war end, we can allocate the much-needed resources for the basic services, infrastructure and the necessary investments in the countryside and agricultural development," he said.

Pangilinan, also also chair of the Senate Committee on Social Justice and Rural Development, maintained that the  agricultural sector is the "key" to the economic and social ills.

"We have neglected agriculture for decades, which is why our neighbors like Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand are zooming past us while we are limping like a crippled old man. If we had, instead, focused on developing agriculture in our “food basket” of Mindanao, think of where we might be today,” he said.