Abella vows to strengthen agriculture sector to provide food, jobs among Filipinos

Presidential candidate and former Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella on Saturday said he would prioritize strengthening the agricultural sector in order to provide food and allocate jobs among Filipinos if he is elected in the May 2022 polls.

Abella, who is also a former presidential spokesperson of the Duterte administration, said he would create an “agricultural powerhouse” to scale up and provide sufficient needs for the people.

“Ang una pong plano bigyan ng tugon ang agrikultura. Ang agricultural sector at ang plano po natin dyan ay gawin natin siyang isang agricultural powerhouse na kung saan po nakadikit ng ilang mga industriya dahil ang kailangan po natin ay isang industriya na national at puwede pong i-scale up at puwede pong tugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga tao and also to be able to sufficiently increase on a larger scale ang atin pong mga GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” he said during the Commission on Elections PiliPinas Presidential Debates 2022:  The Turning Point.

(My first plan is to give a response to agriculture. The agricultural sector and our plan there is to make it an agricultural powerhouse where some industries are attached because what we need is a national industry that can scale up and can meet the needs of the people and also to be able to sufficiently increase on a larger scale our GDP.)

He said that he would also prioritize education to provide the needs of the youth including the children of the farmers.

“Ang bibigyan pong tugon din natin magkadikit din po dyan ang ating ilan pong mga sector which is education and also para mabigyan po ng tugon ang pangangailangan n gating mga ang kabataan, ang mga anak ng farmers not only that we would also like to give backbone digital economy ngayon po ang pinakamahalagang bigyan tugon ay ang agrikultura para makapagprovide po ng food and jobs,” he added.

(We would also give a response is that some of our sectors including education and also to give a response to the needs of our youth, the children of farmers not only that we would also like to give backbone digital economy today the most important answer is agriculture to provide food and jobs.)

Abella earlier said he also planned to continue the 10-point socio-economic agenda of the current administration.

He is running as an independent candidate. — RSJ, GMA News