SAN JOSE CITY, NUEVA ECIJA — If she wins in the upcoming May 9 polls, Vice President Leni Robredo will not only focus on building infrastructure for rural development, but she also promised on Tuesday, March 22, that she will work hard to turn farmers into farmer-entrepreneurs to make their incomes more stable.
The Vice President emphasized the need for “infrastructure requirements of our farmers.”
She shared that farmers will benefit from something as simple as the government providing them harvest facilities and storage facilities to grow more crops and sell them for a profit.
“So, it doesn't take too much to help them. Kailangan lang talagang mas focused 'yung pamahalaan (The government just needs to focus more),” she said during a message she delivered before the clergy here.
Robredo mentioned that in her hometown province of Camarines Sur, her team was able to help a small group of farmers in identifying the top five crops that will bring them more profit. This, she said, was meant to maximize the small parcel of lands where they can farm.
In the three years since they’ve started the project, the group had a “dramatic” increase in yield and earnings. In fact, the Vice President said some of them were able to buy delivery trucks and sign agreements with groceries, hotels, and restaurants.
“We trained them not just to be farmers but to be farmer entrepreneurs. Kasi dati, ang kumikita 'yung mga middleman 'yung bumibili sa kanila pero ngayon, dahil trained na sila (Before, the middleman who buy from them are the ones who profit but now, because they are trained) to deal with big businesses, hindi na nila kailangan ng middlemen, sila na 'yun (they don’t need middlemen, so they’re on their own),” Robredo shared, adding that having institutional buyers such as groceries and restaurants enabled the farmers to expand their markets.
READ: Robredo wants Pinoy farmers to become agri-entrepreneurs
“So the only reason why I'm sharing this story with you is it's doable. It is doable as long as government and the private sector help each other and mas focused 'yung pagtatanim ng mga farmers (what the farmers grow becomes more focused),” she added.
The Vice President’s Angat Buhay program was especially focused on farmers and fisherfolk. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has programs in Iloilo, Nueva Ecija, Camarines Sur, and even as far as Mindanao to help farmers and fisherfolk.
Robredo, however, said these promises will only be possible if she wins and with the clergy’s help to fight disinformation that proliferates on the internet.
She warned against disinformation and fake news being used as a tool to win in today’s election because it will “set the tone” for future elections.
Likening disinformation proliferation to vote buying that is ingrained in the culture of elections in the country, Robredo lamented that politicians will use disinformation “to corrupt or to influence the hearts and the minds of our people.”
“Pag ito po 'yung panalo, sa mga susunod na eleksyon, ito na din 'yung balang gagamitin (If this wins, in the next elections, this is the bullet to be used) and it is scary. It is scary in the sense na wala na tayong magiging (we will have no) integrity of elections pag 'yung eleksyon nadedesisyunan dahil sa kasinungalingan (if the elections will be decided upon by lies),” she said.
Robredo added that the problem with disinformation and fake news is “beyond politics.”
“Ang kalaban po natin ngayon (Our enemy now is), disinformation para (so) people will base their decision on truth rather than on lies,” she stressed.