Their earlier proposal includes financial aid amounting to P10,000 ($180) and P15,000 ($270) production subsidy for farmers, fishers, and agricultural workers. This 2023 budget, the fisherfolk group said, must include a comprehensive stimulus to agricultural workers.
In 2022, the Department of Agriculture was provided with P68.5 billion ($1.2 billion) in funds, a mere 1.4 percent out of the P5 trillion ($90 billion) national budget.īudget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman earlier said the 2023 national budget would amount to P5.3 trillion ($95.4 billion), with a primary focus on agriculture, education, health, infrastructure, and defense. “The budget should be responsive to the needs of our ailing rural sectors who have been left to bankruptcy due to the economic impacts of the pandemic, inflation, and import-liberalization policies,” said Arambulo. In an earlier statement, Pamalakaya spokesperson Ronnel Arambulo said the “neglected agriculture sector deserves a drastic budget increase next year.” Political will is needed to resolve this crisis, but because the ultimate problem is denied by the Marcos regime, such as its pronouncement regarding inflation saying it’s ‘not that high’ and that the ‘state of the nation is sound’, how will we go towards the appropriate solution?” Casilao said.įisherfolk group Pamalakaya said the budget for the agriculture sector must also be increased to address the ongoing food crisis. Meanwhile, citing data from the Department of Energy, Anakpawis said diesel prices in July were 84 percent higher than last year, while gasoline and kerosene prices were 47 percent and 77 percent higher, respectively. This month, the Philippine government recorded a 6.4 percent inflation rate in July, the highest since October 2018. The government itself is the driving force behind this crisis, due to its continued failure to heed the call to suspend the excise tax and VAT on oil products,” said Anakpawis Partylist National President Ariel Casilao in a press statement. “We can truly feel the increase in prices of food and goods. as there remains no word on the proposed lifting of excise tax on oil and other value-added taxes as prices of food and other essentials continue to soar. MANILA – A group of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk has called out Ferdinand Marcos Jr.