SEN. Francis Escudero, vowing to expedite the provision of much needed help to the agricultural sector, affirmed his commitment to “make it truly resilient and competitive internationally,” with or without the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The senator said he has long been appealing to provide the resources needed by the agriculture sector. “Matagal ko nang panawagan sana bigyan ng tunay na prioridad ang sektor ng agrikultura. With or without the RCEP in mind, we should make sure that our agricultural sector is resilient to any internal and external shocks. After all, we are an agricultural country,” said Escudero.
He noted that as the Senate continues to conduct hearings on the RCEP treaty for ratification, “the trade deal needs careful review to ensure that stakeholders in the country’s agricultural sector, especially farmers and fisherfolks, are protected.”
Escudero asserted: “Mas lalo na kung tayo ay sasali sa RCEP kailangan nating siguraduhin na hindi madedehado ang ating industriya ng agrikultura, lalung-lalo na ang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda.”
The senator said that the country should “urgently address the weakness in the agricultural sector primarily caused by the meager investment that the government has given to it.”
At the same time, Escudero reaffirmed his plea for the Marcos government to channel financing to the beleaguered farm sector with the same energy that it is pressing Congress to expedite the passage of the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).
The Bicolano senator said the Executive and the Legislative should work hand in hand to end the government’s “ADD—agriculture deficit disorder” as reflected in the flat farm sector growth which he attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He recalled that “in 2022 ang value of crop, livestock, poultry, fisheries production na P1.756 trillion, computed in 2018 constant prices, ay mas mababa pa sa P1.086 trillion production noong 2018,” noting that “Kaya naman tumaas ng 28 percent ang presyo ng gulay, 25 percent ang presyo ng isda, 30 percent ang sa karne sa loob ng apat na taon.”
“Kung mas mahal pa ang isang kilo ng sibuyas kesa sa isang araw na minimum wage, anong pruweba pa ang kailangan ipakita na meron tayong food crisis?” Escudero asked.
Last Monday, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri told a media briefing that the Senate expects to ratify the trade agreement within the first quarter of 2023.
It will be recalled that the ratification of the RCEP agreement was stalled in the previous Congress because of opposition from groups within the agricultural sector. At present, there are some 100 groups from various sectors that are against the ratification of the international agreement.
The RCEP, signed by the Philippines in November 2020 and ratified by then President Rodrigo Duterte in September 2021, entered into force for other signatory countries on January 1, 2022. But because it has yet to be ratified by the Philippine Senate, the RCEP remains unimplementable in the country.
The RCEP is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
In June 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority released its 2018 study showing that poverty incidence was highest among farmers (31.6 percent), fisherfolk (26.2 percent) and individuals living in rural areas (24.5 percent). In 2015, the same sectors were also the poorest, with poverty incidences at 40.8 percent among farmers, 36.9 percent among fisherfolk, and 34 percent among rural-based individuals.
“As I have been saying, nobody wants to be left behind in a global economy, but we must also be certain that in entering into more trade deals, we do not leave behind the most vulnerable sectors of our local economy. Growth must always be inclusive, or it will only perpetuate the cycle of poverty,” he added.