AN ALLIANCE of agriculture and fisheries sector groups has endorsed the presidential candidacy of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo.   

In a press release e-mailed by Ms. Robredo’s office on Sunday, Alyansa Agrikultura said it decided to “divert” from its non-partisan stand for the past 18 years and back the vice president’s bid for the country’s top post “with the current agriculture crisis” in the country.   

“We believe Leni Robredo, with her commitment to participatory governance and proven performance track record, is the best candidate for president,” Arsenio Tanchuling, the alliance’s president, said.   

“She will give agriculture, as well as the neglected and exploited farmers and fisherfolk, the necessary bright future it has been denied for so long and now fully deserves.”  

Ms. Robredo, who held the second spot in a latest presidential poll conducted by Pulse Asia, Inc., welcomed the group’s endorsement in the same media release.   

The vice president earlier committed to double the annual budget of the agriculture sector, vowing to give it at least P116 billion in the first year of her presidency.  

She also vowed to review the country’s agriculture budget, focus on resilient sub-sectors, and invest in climate-resilient crops. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza 

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