AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee on Wednesday committed to prioritize the protection of the rights and welfare of the farmers and fisherfolk as he joined them in celebrating the Rural Workers Month this June.
“We celebrate Rural Workers Month every June of the year to recognize the contribution of our workers in the barrios,” Lee said.
The government, he said, should take good care of the farmers and fisherfolk being the ones who play a central role in ensuring the country’s food security.
Lee pledged to continue paying attention to rural workers’ needs through government outreach programs and to push initiatives that would assist them during difficult times.
He has filed several bills to increase the productivity and incomes of farmers and fisherfolk, give them adequate social security and help break the cycle of poverty in rural communities.
These are House Bill 1295, which seeks to grant free tertiary agricultural education and other related courses to all dependent children of qualified indigent farmers.
He also filed HB 2418, which amends the Sagip Saka Act and provides additional tax incentives on gifts and donations to accredited farmers and fisherfolk enterprises under the farmers and fisherfolk enterprise development program; and HB 2420, which provides agricultural pension and social security benefits to farmers and fisherfolk.
Lee also filed House Resolution 89, urging the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to prioritize farmers and fisherfolk as eligible beneficiaries in the agency’s move to accommodate new recipients of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Citing the latest report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on poverty statistics among basic sectors, he said fisherfolk, farmers and individuals residing in rural areas remained the poorest sectors in terms of poverty incidence in 2021.
These sectors, according to the PSA, had the highest proportion of individuals belonging to families with income below the official poverty thresholds compared to the other basic sectors. These sectors also registered the highest poverty incidences in 2015 and 2018.
“Millions of Filipino families benefit from the hard work of our farmers and fisherfolk because they literally feed the Philippines,” he said.
“Nakakadismaya na kung sino pa ang nagpapakain sa atin, sila pa ang nagugutom. Nakalulungkot na kung sino pa ang nagtatrabaho para anihin ang yaman ng lupa at dagat natin, sila pa ang naghihirap (It is disappointing that those who produce our food are the ones hungry. So saddening that those who are working to harvest the farmland and sea resources are the ones who are poor,” he added.
Lee said these are the reasons why he would continue to push for the measures seeking to uplift the living conditions of the farmers and fisherfolk. (PNA)