Vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and members of her UniTeam Senate slate vowed to support the agriculture sector if elected in the 2022 polls.
“Ang Nueva Ecija po ay may napakalaking kontribusyon sa ating bansa sa usaping bigas (Nueva Ecija has a large contribution to our country in terms of rice),” said Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) VP bet Duterte during a meeting with UniTeam supporters in Nueva Ecija last Tuesday, March 15.
A farmer at the UniTeam event, 57-year-old Rogelio Dela Cruz, schooled the politicians about the urgent needs of farmers, namely fertilizer prices and skills training.
“Ang kauna-unahan naming kailangan ay yung fertilizer. Pagka-mataas ang presyo ng fertilizer, wala na kaming kikitain. Kung bababa yung fertilizer, medyo aahon (Our primary need is fertilizer. If fertilizer prices are high, we won’t earn. If it goes down, our income improves),” said Dela Cruz.
“Mas maganda kung magkakaroon kami ng training. Malaking bagay sa amin yun. Yung hindi pa namin alam ay matututunan namin (It would be better if we also received training. That’s a big thing for us. We learn things we didn’t know before),” the 57-year-old farmer added.
Alongside Duterte were UniTeam Senate slate members Harry Roque, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Jinggoy Estrada, and Loren Legarda.
“Sisikapin natin na ibaba ang presyo ng mga pataba at insecticides dahil alam ko po na napaka taas po ng presyo ngayon,” Roque said.
Meanwhile, Zubiri said that he would push for the regulation of the rice industry, specifically for importation.
The UniTeam is led by Duterte and presidential candidate former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.