Tag: agriculture

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Lacson: Smuggling, Unchecked Importation, Sloppy Govt Response ‘Killing’ Filipino Onion Farmers

SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija – Aside from smuggling, unchecked onion imports are pushing Filipino farmers to the brink, with disjointed government data and sloppy government response threatening to deepen the problem, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Thursday.

Lacson called out the Department of Agriculture and Philippine Statistics Authority for the discrepancies in their data on onion production and consumption, hindering the government from making the needed decisions to help our onion farmers.

At the hearing of the Senate committees on agriculture and local government here tackling the systemic collapse of onion farm-gate prices, he also scored the “very wide” communication gap between the DA and stakeholders.

“Paano tayo magkaroon ng magandang decision kung di kayo magkasundo (How can we arrive at effective decisions if your data is disjointed)?” he said, particularly addressing the representatives of the DA and PSA here.

“Napakaimportante na kumpleto at accurate ang data para kung magpaplano tayo. Maski sa military operations, kung mali ang assumption, debacle – patay ang lahat na sundalo (It is very important that your data is complete and accurate so we can plan properly. In military operations, if the assumptions are wrong, the soldiers get killed and we experience a debacle),” he added.

In Filipino: Lacson: Bukod sa Smuggling, Di-Kontroladong Pag-aangkat at Palpak na Pagtugon, ‘Pumapatay’ sa Onion Farmers Natin

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Ping Lacson’s ‘Kabataang Magsasaka Scholarship’ Bill to End Farmers’ Poverty, Enhance Food Security

To end the cycle of poverty for farmers by helping their children pursue much-needed education while enhancing the Philippines’ agriculture and food security, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson has filed a bill establishing the “Kabataang Magsasaka” national scholarship and return service program.

Senate Bill 34, the “Kabataang Magsasaka Scholarship Act,” aims to promote inclusive access to quality education in agriculture and allied fields for eligible children or dependents of farmers.

“Consistent with this representation’s aspiration of breaking the poverty cycle of our farmers, this measure will likewise ensure that our country will not fall short of professionals who can contribute to modernizing and strengthening the country’s food security and rural development,” Lacson said in his bill.

In Filipino: Ping Lacson, Naghain ng ‘Kabataang Magsasaka Scholarship’ Bill para Tapusin ang Kahirapan ng Magsasaka at Palakasin ang Food Security

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Ping Lacson Bares ‘Lessons’ from 90-Day Campaign

Independent senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson is taking to heart – and possibly to the Senate – the lessons he learned from ordinary Filipinos he interacted with during the 90-day senatorial campaign.

Lacson said in a radio interview Saturday that he learned many realities that would guide him in crafting legislation for issues affecting sectors such as agriculture, education, and local government units (LGUs).

“During our campaign, we visited areas where we met with LGU officials, down to the barangay chairmen. While we explained to them our campaign platform, we also drew not just inspiration but also lessons from their real-life experiences,” he said in Filipino in an interview on Bombo Radyo Philippines.

“If we did not meet with people on the ground like this, we would not have known about their situation, much less how to help them,” he added.

Related: Ping Lacson, Isiniwalat ang mga Aral sa 90-Araw na Kampanya

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Ping Lacson Wants to Change Pinoys’ Mindset on Agriculture from ‘Backward’ to ‘High-Tech’

Independent senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson wants Filipinos to view agriculture as a major high-tech driver of food security and economic growth, and not as a backward sector for “poor” farmers.

Lacson said this is why he is preparing legislation that will prepare young Filipinos to take up agriculture and eventually make the Philippines a food-secure and agriculture exporting country, should he return to the Senate.

“We need to change our mindset. We must look at agriculture as high-tech and not the traditional image of a farmer manually tilling the land with a carabao. That is a very outdated impression of agriculture,” he said.

“In Europe, farmers become wealthy because of agriculture. It may be only in the Philippines where farmers are associated with poverty,” he added.

Related: Ping Lacson, Nais Baguhin ang Pananaw sa Agrikultura: ‘High-Tech,’ Hindi ‘Paurong’

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Ping Lacson Ready to Help Bring Solar-Powered Irrigation to More Farmers by Scrutinizing the Budget

Former Senator and 2025 senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson is prepared to help bring solar-powered irrigation to more farmers in more areas in the country, to bring down agriculture production costs.

Lacson said that should he earn a seat in the Senate, he is ready to find sources of funds for such programs by scrutinizing the national budget bill for questionable appropriations.

He said he will similarly scrutinize the budget to fund related programs, such as catch basins that impound water during rainy days and release the water if needed during the dry season.

“The budget is the solution to this. And being the budget watchdog, once I see questionable appropriations during the budget deliberations, I will have them realigned for the appropriate programs, activities and projects,” he said.

Related: Ping Lacson, Titiyakin ang Solar-Powered Irrigation para sa Mas Maraming Magsasaka sa Pamamagitan ng Pagbusisi sa Budget

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