IN a bid to improve their plight amid the pandemic, a lawmaker is pushing for the institutionalization of the rights and benefits of agriculture workers.
In House Bill 7133, or the Magna Carta for Workers in the Agricultural Development, Ang Probinsyano Party-list Rep. Alfred Delos Santos said the proposal aims to address the gaps in the agriculture sector, which has the highest poverty incidence at 34 percent based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Citing the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Delos Santos also said 40 percent of underemployed workers come from agricultural sector.
According to the lawmaker, the bill provides measures which are oriented primarily toward the professionalization of those in agricultural development sectors, the protection and enforcement of their rights, and the institutionalizations of the various benefits to be granted to them.
“It is sad to think that the Philippines as an agricultural country, our farmers are experiencing poverty and underemployment. It is the main source of livelihood and food for a lot of Filipinos pero sila po ang naghihirap at walang makain,” Delos Santos said.
Delos Santos added that the importance of the agriculture sector was further highlighted in the face of the public health crisis due to Covid-19.
“We can solve this if more of our countrymen enter the agricultural sector. And we can assure this by providing the necessary rights and benefits to those involved and interested in pursuing a career in agriculture,” he said.
Delos Santos said his proposed measure will address the needs of the farmers and the support to boost the sector, as he lamented the low contribution of agriculture to the gross domestic product (GDP) over the years.
House Bill proposes rights, benefits for agriculture workers
