ROBIN Padilla, who has earned a reputation as one of the Philippine showbiz industry’s “bad boys”—albeit a most charming one—has volunteered to become the face of the country’s agriculture sector to boost the image of farming and farmers nationwide.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol made the announcement on Monday and said Padilla has already agreed to film a documentary and appear on a TV program on agriculture. The director of the documentary will be Njel de Mesa.
The funding for the documentary, Piñol said, will come from the DA and the private sector. However, he said Padilla already waived his talent fee.
“On behalf of the Filipino farmers and fisherfolk, I want to thank Robin for his selfless offer to help the sector. He has seen the problems confronting agriculture and he wants to help,” Piñol said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“His advocacy is to show that agriculture, particularly farmers, will not wear a tattered sombrero and short pants but [are] macho and handsome like him,” he quipped.
Padilla said he wants to change the image of the farm sector, especially the farmers. He said the sector is badly in need of a “morale booster.”
The documentary will also show the step-by-step process of putting up agribusinesses. In fact, Padilla said, Piñol urged him to go into agribusiness so that he could better understand the sector.
Piñol said Padilla volunteered to promote Philippine agriculture during the President’s state visit to Japan in May. He said Padilla is already thinking of agriculture-related projects, especially for rehabilitation centers for drug dependents.
“I’ve done that in Bilibid. We weren’t assisted by the DA before. Now, with the help of the DA, the project will be successful. We have the budget, and it must not go to waste,” Padilla said in Filipino.
The reference to the New Bilibid Prisons is based on Padilla’s real-life drama. He previously served time for an illegal possession of firearms case in the ’90s.