Duterte asks govt bank to provide loan access to farmers

ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat -- President Rodrigo Duterte has urged the Land Bank of the Philippines to offer farmers soft loans after handing them their certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) here Monday.Speaking after the distribution program, Duterte said the country remains to be basically agriculture and the farmers are the country's front liners in providing food to every Filipinos. As such, they must be receive assistance from the government, including credit access to a government run bank.The President cited previous land title distribution programs where farmers get a title and the government did not provide support program. I am urging the Land Bank to look for ways and mens na makarating kayo doon sa farmers, Duterte saidduring the the ceremonial distribution of CLOA to 1,680 agrarian reform beneficiaries in Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat.The farmers, in red t-shirts,waited until about 4 p.m. from the 2 pm scheduled program at the Sultan Kudarat Sports and Convention Center.He also urged the farmers to also venture into other agricultural crops and not only palay. It could be very lucrative, he said as he encouraged farmers to also plant palm oil and rubber trees.