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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Solon asks gov't: Support farmers, spare them from politics 

Solon asks gov't: Support farmers, spare them from politics 

Published Oct 25, 2023 04:27 pm

At A Glance

  • AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee says that detaching politics from the agriculture sector will enable a stronger support system for farmers who are in need of assistance from the government. 

Safeguard duty on rice, corn sought(Keith Bacongco /MANILA BULLETIN)

 

 

 

 

 

AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee says that detaching politics from the agriculture sector will enable a stronger support system for farmers who are in need of assistance from the government. 

“May mga subsidy at iba-ibang tulong ang gobyerno para sa magsasaka. Sa Kongreso nilalaanan yan ng pondo. Ang problema, di naman nagagamit dahil sa dami ng requirements,” Lee said in a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 25. 

(The government has subsidies and various assistance for farmers. Congress allocates funds for that. The problem is, it’s never used because of the number of requirements.) 

"Tapos nakakalungkot na malalaman natin na may instances na naiipit ang mga assistance para sa farmers' groups dahil hindi nila kasundo ang mga opisyal; yung support for farmers, dapat insulated from politics yan," he said. 

(Then it’s disheartening when we learn that there are instances where assistance for farmers' groups gets help up because they don't agree with the officials; the support for farmers should be insulated from politics.) 

Lee stresses that the government is obliged to extend assistance to all Filipino farmers but this should be done in a timely manner. 

He pointed to the difficulty in receiving assistance because of the time-consuming, multiple requirements. 

"We should simplify, streamline, and liberalize the requirements so our farmers get the support they need,” the solon said. 

The assistance should be received on time and not when the harvest season is over, said Lee. 

"Ang paulit-ulit na sinasabi ko: ang gobyerno dapat enabler. Hindi sya dapat pabigat sa taumbayan. Nandyan sya para pagaanin ang pasanin ng ating mga kababayan," he added. 

(What I keep on saying is this: the government should be enablers. It should not be a burden on the people. It is there to lighten the burden of our countrymen.) --Dexter Barro II

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Wilbert T. Lee Agri Party-list
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