TACLOBAN CITY – A party-list solon has commended the administration of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. for its focus on the development of the country’s agriculture sector.
Rep. Wilbert Lee of the Agri party-list group stated that, as far as he knows, only the Marcos administration has given significant attention to the agriculture sector, aiming to improve the living conditions of farmers and the sector itself.
“I am pleased because this is the only administration that has focused on agriculture. Despite the many problems, the important thing is that our President has started it,” Lee said in an interview.
On several occasions, the President has reiterated his intention to improve the quality of life among farmers by developing and strengthening policies and prioritizing the welfare of agricultural workers.
During his visit to the region on July 4, the President extended financial assistance to farmers and fisherfolk and donated equipment to boost their production yields.
Rep. Lee also mentioned that he has filed several measures in Congress to help farmers, whom he referred to as food security soldiers.
These measures include streamlining and simplifying the loan process for farmers and allocating funds for improvements in farm implements and facilities like water impounding, using a portion of the 20 percent economic development fund of local government units.
Rep. Lee noted that while he supports the government’s land distribution program, the assistance should not stop there.
“Support is still needed. If no support is given, such as capital and farm inputs, what will happen is that the land will just be mortgaged. Even before the harvest, our farmers are already buried in debt,” he said.
“We need to provide capital, farm implements, and most importantly, financial literacy training,” the Agri party-list solon added. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
