To help uplift the lives of those in the agricultural sector, Rep. Paolo Duterte has filed a measure in Congress that would incentivize farmers and fisherfolks and provide scholarships to their children and dependents.
“The country’s agricultural industry has suffered the largest employment drop in 2022. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reports stated that the agricultural sector —agriculture, forestry, fishing, and aquaculture industries — had its share of total employment fall from 24.5 percent (9.7 million) in October 2020 and 24.6 percent (10.77 million) in October 2021 to 22.5 percent (10.60 million) in October 2022,” Duterte explained.
Duterte added that according to PSA, the country’s farmers and fisherfolks remain to be the “poorest in the country” with a poverty incidence rate of 30.6 percent in 2021.
House Bill No. 9095 also known as the Educational Scholarship for Children and Dependents of Farmers and Fisherfolks Act of 2023, aims to provide full scholarship for the children and dependents of farmers and fishermen listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).
They should be entitled to full scholarship from basic education until their completion of tertiary education subject to rules and regulations as mandated by the proposed measure.
The benefits shall include all expenses for education, whether in public or private school, such as but not limited to tuition fees, miscellaneous and other fees, board and lodging, transportation expenses, allowances for books, clothing and food and other similar expenses, it added.
“The agricultural sector must not be left in disarray alone, or else, the shift out of the sector will continue and food security will be endangered. In addition to showing appreciation to the invaluable contribution of the agricultural sector, increasing access to education of the sector’s members will also uplift and motivate agricultural research that is vital in the sector’s quest for development,” Duterte explained.
Duterte also noted that according to the Philippine Development Studies (PIDS), the growing population, shrinking farm size and declining productivity have incentivized the shift out of agriculture.
He said that the PIDS also highlights the stronger correlation between the average daily basic pay and the level of education in some sectors than that of agriculture, which could be attributed to the long-term movement of workers out in agriculture.
“Hence, acts towards agricultural development shall not only be limited in increasing agricultural production and farming subsidies but also in incentivizing members of the agricultural sector, particularly through increasing the access of the sector’s members and their families to education—a fundamental right affirmed under the 1987 Constitution,” Duterte said.
Netizens are elated by Duterte’s proposal, claiming that its immediate approval would inspire farmers and fishermen to work even harder as the country is now facing a very challenging time in its agricultural sector due to the continuous increases in the prices of basic agricultural commodities.