LACSON: EQUIP FARMERS, REDUCE IMPORTs

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson vows full support for farmers - from technical assistance to marketing - when he becomes President in the 2022 elections. The standard bearer of Partido Reporma hopes this will in turn lower the Philippines’ dependence on the importation of agricultural products.

“My economic roadmap will prioritize expansion opportunities for local farmers as well as fisherfolk to make sure that no one is left behind,” Lacson said in an online presidential forum hosted by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Cignal TV and The Manila Times.

The senator added that he will not stop in providing them with the basic needs, but will also teach them to market their own products to “liberate them from the grip and control of middlemen and traders who dictate market prices for food security frontliners.” 

Lacson, who co-authored the Free Irrigation Service Act, also lamented how only 63% or 2.1 million hectares of the country’s 3.128 million hectares of irrigable land is actually given free irrigation. 

“Any agriculturist will tell you that irrigation, fertilizer, and seedlings are three of the most basic components of an aspiring self-reliant agricultural country like the Philippines,” the senator said. 

The presidential candidate also stressed that it is time for the Philippines to veer away from the “import-dependent mentality.” And providing the farmers full assistance will help achieve that.  

In line with this, Lacson said that better conditions for farmers as well as proper encouragement through state universities and colleges will inspire the younger generation to consider a future in farming. 

“It’s only in the Philippines where farmers are poor. When you go to the United States, when you go to Europe, the farmers are the richest in their communities,” said Lacson.