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Senator Robinhood Padilla encouraged relevant government organizations on Thursday to assist Filipino farmers and fishermen in becoming entrepreneurs in order to lift them out of poverty.

Padilla questioned agency representatives during a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship to find out if there were any initiatives to help farmers and fishermen form cooperatives and manage their own enterprises.

“Hindi po ba sila pwedeng i-train na ang kanilang raw materials? Lagi lang kasing raw kukunin ng trader, maiiwan ang magsasaka at mangingisda, kikita ang trader. If we don’t teach them how to trade their raw materials—traders always get their products raw, the farmer or fisherman gets left behind, and the trader makes money—they will always get their products raw. Can’t we figure out a method to live as well as other nations’ farmers and fishermen do? “asked he.

According to Padilla, “Our farmers are so defenseless that they do not want their children to follow in their footsteps.” “Kasi nakakaawa ang magsasaka ang natin, ang anak nila ayaw nilang gawing magsasaka,”

Padilla urged them to “prioritize helping farmers and fishers to have their own businesses” when the Cooperative Development Authority’s representative stated that the organization is coordinating with other government agencies on the issue, such as the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

The “Poverty Reduction Through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) Act” was being pushed by the Senate panel, which was led by Senator Sonny Angara.

The agriculture industry has been reassured by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri that they won’t be threatened by the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.

He emphasized in a statement that the RCEP does not liberalize tariffs on highly sensitive agricultural products like rice, swine, and poultry meat, potatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, sugar, and carrots.

In contrast to the current ASEAN +1 FTAs, he said, “Under RCEP, the Philippines only offered additional favorable arrangements to 33 agricultural tariff lines, especially for Australia, New Zealand, China, and Korea.”

He continued by saying that these 33 tariff lines correspond to barely fifteen products, the majority of which do not constitute a threat to our domestic goods.

Fish fillet, frozen mackerel, celery, sausages, olives, spinach, olive oil, live swine, live chicken, black pepper, palm nuts and kernels, preserved sweet corn, chilis and other capers, preserved onions, corn starch, and food for monkeys are among the fifteen products.

In addition, Zubiri suggested a set of rules for carrying out the agreement, outlining safeguards and initiatives to strengthen the sector’s capabilities.

The Senate President also guaranteed the establishment of a Senate Special Oversight Committee on the RCEP Agreement, which will be tasked with keeping an eye on the plans and initiatives of the relevant government departments and agencies and, if necessary, coming up with legislative recommendations to pursue structural reforms and address implementation issues.

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