ROSALES, Pangasinan – To enhance our food security while encouraging youths to be farmers, former Senator and 2025 senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson is eyeing a scholarship program for deserving students – especially children of farmers – who want to join the agriculture sector.
Lacson said Wednesday that such a program similar to the “Doktor Para sa Bayan Act” – authored by former Senate President Vicente Sotto III – would also expose young scholars to technological advancements in agriculture.
He plans to file the “Kabataang Magsasaka Para sa Bayan” bill should he earn a seat in the Senate this May.
“This is to encourage children of farmers to study new technologies through scholarships in agriculture courses. They will study new technologies and developments to improve their agricultural yield, instead of using traditional manual methods,” he said in Filipino at the “Konsultahang Bayan: Agenda para sa Agrikultura” held at the New Bagsakan Center of the Rosales Farmer’s Market here.
“We will enhance our agricultural productivity while increasing the interest of our youths in farming,” he added.
Related: Ping Lacson, Balak Maghain ng ‘Kabataang Magsasaka para sa Bayan’ Bill para sa Food Security
Even better, he said this will in the long run even help the Philippines become an agriculture exporting country instead of an importing one.
Many of the farmers in the audience cheered when Lacson asked them if they approve of such an agriculture scholarship program.
Lacson noted the University of the Philippines in Los Banos (UPLB) is one such institute that offers masteral courses that feature biotechnology.
The UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) was able to procure modern, state-of-the-art equipment due to the yearly increases in its budget stemming from institutional amendments Lacson introduced to the national budget.
“We must have young farmers who can learn to use new technologies and equipment to improve our production. We can add funding to the appropriate agencies for this,” Lacson stressed.
Lacson hopes stakeholders such as the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) will help shape the proposed legislation.
FFF chairman and former Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor, as well as SINAG president Rosendo So, who were present at the forum, had expressed support for such a proposed measure.
Meanwhile, Lacson also reiterated his push for digitalization of government transactions, so the government can address the needs of farmers using a data-driven and science-based approach.
Using such an approach, the government can determine the areas that need intervention, he noted.
Otherwise, he said this will open opportunities for discretion – and in turn, opportunities for corruption.
“If we resort to guesswork, we allow discretion. If there is discretion, there is corruption,” he said.
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Ping Lacson, Balak Maghain ng ‘Kabataang Magsasaka para sa Bayan’ Bill para sa Food Security
ROSALES, Pangasinan – Upang matiyak ang ating food security habang hinihikayat ang kabataan na maging magsasaka, nais ni dating Senador at 2025 senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson na magkaroon ng scholarship program para sa estudyante – lalo ang mga anak ng magsasaka – na nais magtrabaho sa agrikultura.
Ani Lacson nitong Miyerkules, ang ganitong programa na katulad ng “Doktor Para sa Bayan Act” na inakda ni dating Senate President Vicente Sotto III ay magbibigay ng kaalaman sa kabataan para gamitin ang mga panibagong teknolohiya sa agrikultura.
Balak niyang ihain ang panukalang “Kabataang Magsasaka Para sa Bayan” kung manalo siya sa pagka-senador ngayong Mayo.
“Ang dapat pagtuunan ng pansin ngayon ay ang Kabataang Magsasaka para sa Bayan, para ma-encourage ang mga anak ng mga magsasaka na mag-aral ng bagong teknolohiya… Bigyan natin ng pagkakataon na magkaroon ng scholarship para sa mga anak ng mga magsasaka, para bagong technology na ang kanilang gagamitan—hindi tulad ng mga nakagisnan na mga mano-mano,” aniya sa “Konsultahang Bayan: Agenda para sa Agrikultura” sa New Bagsakan Center ng Rosales Farmer’s Market dito.
“I think makakatulong ‘yon para ma-enhance ang productivity natin at para ma-renew ang interest ng ating kabataan para pagtuunan ng pansin ang sakahan,” dagdag niya.
Ani Lacson, ang mas mainam pa dito ay maaaring maging exporting country sa halip na importing country ang Pilipinas sa pangmatagalan.
Marami sa mga magsasaka ang pumalakpak nang tinanong sila ni Lacson kung payag ba silang magkaroon ng ganitong agriculture scholarship program.
Ayon kay Lacson, ang University of the Philippines in Los Banos (UPLB) ay isa sa mga may kurso na nagtuturo ng biotechnology.
Nakabili ang UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) ng moderno at state-of-the-art na gamit dahil sa taunang pagtaas sa budget nito – at ito ay dahil sa mga institutional amendments na ginawa ni Lacson sa pambansang budget.
“Dapat meron tayong kabataang magsasaka para sa bayan kung saan mapagaralan ang bagong kagamitan para ma improve ang production ng magsasaka. Pwede tayong magdagdag ng pondo sa kaukulang ahensya na luma ang equipment,” diin ni Lacson.
Umaasa si Lacson na tutulong ang mga stakeholders tulad ng Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) at Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) sa paghubog ng panukalang batas na ito.
Kabilang sa mga nakilahok sa konsultahan ay sina FFF chairman at dating Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor at SINAG president Rosendo So, na nagpahayag ng suporta sa panukala.
Samantala, iginiit muli ni Lacson ang digitalization ng transaksyon sa pamahalaan, para matugunan ang pangangailangan ng magsasaka gamit ang “data-driven and science-based approach.”
Gamit ang datos, malalaman ng awtoridad kung saang lugar ang nangangailangan ng dagdag na tulong o gamit, aniya.
Kung hindi, magkakaroon lamang ng puwang para sa discretion, at puwang na rin para sa katiwalian.
“Kung naghuhula tayo, may discretion, pag may discretion, may corruption,” aniya.
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