Duterte offers aid for Papua New Guinea’s educational system; agri deal inked

November 18, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte has offered help to Papua New Guinea to further develop its educational system and to provide livelihood projects.

"We can come here, we can establish schools and if you want a university. And we are good at that. We will try to help you," the President said during his speech last Friday with the Filipino community in PNG.

From Singapore where he attended the 33rd ASEAN Summit, Duterte flew to PNG to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Meeting.

"We need to develop and develop well Papua New Guinea. We are willing to help," he added.

He also offered sending Filipino teachers in the Asia Pacific country.

"We will send vocational skills training, the TESDA (Technical and Education Skills Authority). Governor, we are willing to help your livelihood projects here," he told East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, who was in the event.

He thanked PNG for treating well the Filipinos living there.

"And I really thank you Governor and the Prime Minister (Peter O’Neill) that you have accommodated us and I’ve heard that you have treated us very well," he said.

Last Friday, the Philippines and PNG signed the Memoramdum of Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation.

Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol said the deal was inked a year after Duterte met with O’Neil at the sidelines of APEC Forum in Danang, Vietnam where PNG asked the Philippine support in developing its rice industry.

He said in February, the DA sent a technical team to conduct a site validation.

“Nineteen farmers from North Cotabato Province arrived in Port Moresby in August and worked on a 25-hectare demo farm inside the Pacific Adventist University Compound,” he said.

“When the MOA was signed between the PNG Agriculture Minister Benny Allen and the Philippine Secretary of Agriculture in the middle of the demo farm yesterday, the rice planted by Filipino farmers was already in the reproductive stage and ready for harvest by the end of December,” he added.

Under the arrangement, rice produced by Filipino farmers will be absorbed by the local market and the excess could be exported to the Philippines.

Piñol noted that PNG's rice requirement is about 400,000 metric tons every year, while the Philippines imports about one million metric tons annually. Ella Dionisio/DMS