Robredo wants at least P116B for agri, greater participation of farmers in gov’t planning

Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday said she wants a budget of at least  P116 billion budget for the agriculture sector during the first year of her administration if elected president in Eleksyon 2022.

She made the commitment at the AGRI 2022 Online Forum when she was asked about her plans for the agricultural and fisheries sector.

Robredo said the current funding for the sector is only 1.7% of the national budget.

“Iyong 1.7% is about P58 billion. So iyong commitment ko, iyong first budget na gagawin, gagawin na siya at least P116 billion,” she told the stakeholders.

(The 1.7 percent of our budget is about P58 billion. So my commitment is the first budget under our administration for the sector will be at least P116 billion.)

“Hindi lang iyong total budget pero pati rin iyong distribution noon…So kailangan tingnan natin hindi lang iyong buo pero tingnan din natin kung makatarungan ba iyong distribution ng buong budget,” she explained.

(We will not only make changes on the total budget but also in its distribution. So if we need to look not only at the whole budget but also the equitable distribution of the entire budget.)

Robredo noted that the 2021 budget for the agriculture was distributed to the following: P15.5 billion for the rice, around P3 billion for the fisheries sector, and around P1 billion each for all other programs.

“Kasi kapag sinabi nating makatarungan ba, nasaan ba iyong opportunities? Alin ba iyong most resilient na sub-sector ng agriculture? Kasi kung nasaan iyong opportunities, dapat bigyan natin ng mas maraming budget,” she explained.

(If we say equitable, we should ask, where are the other opportunities? Which sub-sector of agriculture is the most resilient? We should provide more funds to sectors which have more opportunities.)

As an example, Robredo said the fisheries sector must be given a huge allocation from the national budget, noting that the Philippines is an archipelago yet its fisherfolk are among the poorest sectors in the country.

Robredo said the government should focus on climate-resilient crops.

“Dapat tine-take into consideration natin on a per province basis. Ano ba iyong climate conditions doon? Ano ba iyong klase ng lupa doon? And dapat, iyong budget tinitingnan iyon kasi kapag masyadong centralized iyong pag-budget, mahihirapan talaga tayo,” she said.

(We should take into consideration the climate condition of each province. What kind of soil do they have? Our budget is very centralized and we would really struggle if we continue that.)

“Mahihirapan tayo in the sense na kapag pinagpatuloy lang natin iyong status quo, talagang 20 years after, ganoon pa rin iyong problema natin,” she added.

(It would be hard for us in the sense that if we maintain the status quo, the problem will persist 20 years after.)

In the same forum, Robredo highlighted the importance of farmers’ participation in the planning process of the national government.

“Hindi ako fan ng trickle-down [economics]. So ako, lagi kong bina-bat iyong more participation noong ating farmers sa pagplano. Kasi kapag ang nagpa-plano hindi sila, hindi masyadong naisasaalang-alang. We don’t give a lot of focus on their plight,” she pointed out.

(I am not a fan of a trickle-down economics. I always bat for more participation of our farmers at the planning stage. If they are not part of the planning, we can't take their insights. We don't give a lot of focus on their plight.) — BM, GMA News