A SENATOR on Sunday urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to certify as urgent a bill seeking to institutionalize support programs to farmers and fisherfolks to boost rural and agriculture development.
In a statement, Senator Francis Pancratius “Kiko” N. Pangilinan said he is proposing the creation of a government body to oversee technical and financial assistance for farmers, alongside a five-year strategic plan to guide the development of the agriculture sector.
“It shall ensure that public extension services meet the national standards of performance and effectively contribute towards the achievement of the national goals of agriculture and fisheries modernization, and sustainable development,” he said.
Mr. Pangilinan last week stressed the need to develop and streamline state farming services at the provincial and municipal levels to help boost the agriculture sector, which had long grappled with structural challenges like production, logistics, financing and climate resilience.
The measure seeks the hiring of agriculture experts to steer policymaking on extension services, aiming to streamline knowledge transfer and improve farm output.
“The provincial and municipal agriculture and fisheries extension services shall organize and structure its services based on the agricultural and extension needs of the province and standards set by the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Agency (PAFEA),” the bill said, a copy of which was obtained by BusinessWorld.
Mr. Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate agriculture committee, said he will begin hearings on his proposal to nudge it forward in the legislative mill.
“We’re set to begin hearings on this, and we’re urging the President to certify these bills as urgent — on extension services and strengthening agricultural cooperatives,” he said in Filipino. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
