Ni NOEL ABUEL
Inihayag ni Senador Cynthia Villar ang kanyang mga panukalang batas para matugunan ang kahirapan ng nasa sektor ng pagsasaka at pangingisda.
Ayon sa senador, bunsod ng 30 porsiyento ng kahirapan sa bansa ay nasa sektor ng pagsasaka at pangingisda ay dapat lang na tulungan ang mga ito.
Sa kanyang pananalita sa National Agricultural and Fisheries Month celebration na idinaos sa Department of Agriculture sa Quezon City, tinukoy ni Villar ang Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report kung saan ipinakikita na 30 percent ng kahirapan ay nasa hanay ng mga magsasaka, 30.6 percent sa mga mangingisda at 25.7 percent sa rural areas.
Kinilala rin nito ang mahalagang ambag ng mga ito sa nation building.
“Farmers and fishermen tirelessly toil our land and seas in order to feed us, give employment to our rural communities and provide raw materials for our food processing industries,” ayon kay Villar.
Sanhi nito, sinabi ni Villar na patuloy ang kanyang pagsisikap na mapabuti ang kanilang kabuhayan at sinabi na ang poverty reduction ay adboksiya ng kanyang pamilya.
“I have taken steps as a senator to improve their conditions through legislation. My agenda is through support programs to enable our farmers to lessen production cost and correspondingly increase their profits,” sabi pa ng chairperson ng Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.
“One of these recent laws for the agriculture and fisheries sectors which she passed and a few which she hopes to pass until the end of her term in March 2025 is the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act which isnow close to becoming a law. It is expected to be signed by the President into law soon, ” dagdag pa nito.
Itinatakda sa batas na ito ang pagbuo sa Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Task Force, Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Court at Special Team of Prosecutors mula sa Department of Justice (DOJ) para mapabilis ang paglilitis sa agri-economic sabotage cases.
Inakda at inisponsor din ni Villar “An Act Strengthening the Livestock, Poultry and Dairy Development and Competitiveness para sa development, promotion at competitiveness ng ating Livestock, Poultry at Dairy Industries.
Ang iba pang batas ay ang Extension of the RCEF na lampas sa 2024 at pinapalawak angmga benepisyo, kabilang ang iba pang programa.
“Under Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, around PHP10 billion worth of appropriated tariffs from private rice importers farmers help,” ani pa Villar.
Tinukoy rin nito ang Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act na naipasa noong March 2021 at ang 41 batas na nagtayo sa legislated hatcheries sa may 57 lugar sa bansa at ang Republic Act No 11985 o An Act Strengthening and Revitalizing the Salt Industry.
“I will also aim to pass corn Industry Development Law to support the livestock poultry and dairy industries. Corn is both for human consumption and for animals. In animals 70 percent of their feeds is from yellow corn,” paniniyak pa ng senador.
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