(Keith Bacongco/ MANILA BULLETIN)

A pro-agriculture congressman wants Filipinos--farmers in particular--to hold the government officials at a higher standard.

This, as AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee blamed the "tolerant and forgiving" nature of Filipinos for their woes in agriculture.

"Masaya na tayo at sobra-sobra ang ating pasasalamat kung tayo ay nabibigyan ng konting ayuda. Kulang na lang sambahin natin ang nagbigay sa atin. Hindi ba natin naiisip na ‘yan ay pera natin, ‘yan ay pera ng taumbayan? (We're happy and overly thankful whenever we're given meager assistance, to the point that we almost worship our benefactors. Has it ever crossed our minds that this is our money, the people's money?)" Lee said during recent talk Regional Research and Development Coordinating Council meeting of Bicol Consortium for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (BCAARRD).

“Dapat na po nating baguhin ang kultura ng ‘Pwede na, ok na yan.’ Dapat na nating itaas ang ating standards o scorecard para sa mga nasa pamahalaan (It's time to change our culture of 'That’s good enough.' It's time to raise our standards or scorecards for those who are in government),” he added.

Lee, a neophyte lawmaker in the 19th Congress, blamed this mindset for the continuing poverty being experienced by farmers and their families.

"Ang ating mga magsasaka, pinapaaral ang mga anak sa Maynila, na ang kabilin-bilinan ay mag-aral nang mabuti at huwag nang bumalik sa pinanggalingan para huwag nang maging katulad nilang magsasaka lamang (Our farmers send their children to study in the city, and advise them to study hard so they may not have to go back and suffer the same poverty as they have)," he said.

Lee had earlier expressed worries over the Filipino youth's lack of interest in farming and agriculture in general.

Attending the meeting were the presidents of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), teachers, researchers and representatives from non-government organizations, and national government agencies.

At any rate, the Bicolano admitted that farmers in the Philippines have a difficult, thankless job.

"Kung hindi pa nga sumisikat ang araw hanggang sa tirik na ang araw ay nasa sakahan sila, at pagkatapos ng lahat ng hirap, hindi pa nga anihan ay baon na sila sa utang (They are out of the fields before dawn and even when the sun is high, and after all of the hard work, they find themselves buried in debt before harvest season),” he explained.

Lee there is no one to blame in this dire situation but ourselves, because as Filipinos, we tend to be tolerant, forgiving and overly thankful for meager service from the government.

He then posed a challenge to SUC presidents, teachers, and the academe as a whole in fulfilling their role since education is key in empowering the youth to be responsible and compassionate citizens.

“As educators, it is upon you to make meaningful change happen. You have to produce graduates who not only have the brains to build a better world but also the hearts to give back to the poor. The future we want to create is not just a more intelligent, advanced world but, more importantly, a more caring, sharing community,” he said.

"The future is the youth, but this future is shaped by our teachers,” Lee added.