On October 16, 2023, SINAG celebrated its 10th Founding Anniversary attended by CFBCI President Stephen Sia, Executive Vice President Samuel Lee Uy, Senior Adviser Richard Alviar, Vice Chairman Gregorio Lagamayo, Vice Chairman Eduardo Aga Tiu, Plenary Member Ramon Uy, Plenary Member Jack Wong, Plenary Member Samuel Sia, and other esteemed guests.
The event was also graced by the attendance of Senator Cynthia Villar who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food as well as the Senate Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises.
Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) is a civil society group that aims to protect the interests of the agricultural sector by promoting transparency, lobbying legislative actions for the development of the sector, and urging government agencies and officials to execute positive solutions to prominent issues. SINAG is currently led by Chairman Rosendo So who is also a Vice Chairman in the External Affairs Committee of the Chinese-Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI) and the Founding Chairman of ABONO Partylist.
In her speech, Senator Villar said that holding gatherings like this is important as it paves the way for productive conversations on how to improve the agricultural sector and generate solutions to food security problems.
She also recognized the continuous efforts of SINAG to eradicate the challenges faced by the agricultural industry, especially in helping her to craft effective legislations for the benefit of the people.
For instance, Senator Villar authored the Senate Bill 2432, AN ACT DEFINING THE CRIMES OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC SABOTAGE, which aims to promote the productivity sector, provide enhanced protection to farmers and fishermen against abusive traders and importers, and ensure that agricultural products are affordable for Filipinos. This legislation is now on second reading as of September 2023.
With utmost pride, Senator Villar also mentioned the country’s first-ever Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (CEFA) to be installed in Angat, Bulacan. She said that such an inspection area will greatly help to stop the entry of contaminated agricultural products that would infringe the quality of local crops, livestock, poultry, and fishery products, hence endangering the health of the Filipino people.
On July 20, 2023, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Pacific Roadlink Logistics Inc. (PRLI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the construction CEFA. CFBCI members led by Executive Vice President Samuel Lee Uy attended this historic event.
Senator Villar ended her speech by calling on to all the attendees to continue helping the government in bringing forth positive changes to the agricultural industry. She is hopeful that by working together, poverty and hunger will end in the country.
菲華工商總會訊：十月十六日（星期一）晚上，本會理事長謝國萬，執行副理事長黃書瑋，常務顧問曾煥眉，常務理事許福星、林文龍，理事王輝益、顏漢龍、謝榮全，同仁許啟敏、顏孫發赴計順市應邀參加SINAG (Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura) 成立十週年慶，向該基金會成員表示祝賀。
SINAG基金會是一個民間社會團體，旨在通過提高透明度，遊說立法者促進農業部門的發展，並敦促政府機構和官員對突出問題採取積極的解決方案來保護農業部門的利益。SINAG主席蘇文琳，是農業團體政黨ABONO創黨人，他亦是本會北呂宋地區常務理事。
SINAG主席蘇文琳在慶典會上致歡迎詞，他呼籲所有與會者要繼續幫助政府，為農業帶來積極的變化，希望通過共同努力，結束本國的貧困和饑餓。
參議院農業和食品委員會主席Cynthia Villar參議員也出席了此次活動，她在致詞時表示，她肯定了SINAG基金會為消除農業面臨的挑戰所做的不懈努力，為如何改善農業部門和為糧食安全問題提供解決方案，特別是在幫助她為人民的利益制定有效的立法方面。
Villar參議員提出了參議院第2432號法案，該法案定義了農業經濟破壞罪，旨在促進生產力部門，為農民和漁民提供更有力的保護，使其免受貿易商和進口商的侵害，並確保菲律濱人民都能負擔得起本國的農產品。該立法現已於今年九月進行二讀。Villar參議員還非常自豪地提到了本國有史以來第一個農業冷凍品檢查設施（CEFA）將在武拉干省安加特設置。她說：這樣的檢查，將極大地有助於阻止受污染的農產品進入本國，這些產品會侵犯當地農作物，牲畜，家禽和漁業產品的品質，從而危及到菲律濱人民的健康。在今年七月二十日，農業部 （DA） 和太平洋公路物流公司 （PRLI） 簽署了建設 CEFA 的諒解備備忘錄，本會執行副理事長黃書瑋，副理事長林天德，常務理事林文龍、洪海濱應邀出席見證簽約儀式。
圖片說明：在慶典上賓客合影留念。
上圖：（左起）謝國萬，林文龍，許福星，蘇文琳，土地改革部(DAR)部長Conrado M. Estrella III,黃書瑋，許啟敏，Pangasinan第二區眾議員Mark Cojuanco，曾煥眉，顏漢龍，王輝益合影。
下左圖：（前排左起）林文龍，謝國萬，Cynthia Villar參議員，黃書瑋，曾煥眉，謝榮全。（後排左起）顏孫發，顏漢龍，許啟敏，許福星合影。
下右圖：本會出席領導同仁與伊沙迷拉省Aurora市前市長黃樞珩（中）合影。
