Rep. Nathaniel Oducado of 1Tahanan Party-list has filed a proposed measure which aims to create Agricultural Pension Program for the country’s farmers and fishermen.
Oducado said that House Bill No. 5009, also known as Pensyonadong Magsasaka at Mangingisda, seeks to create an agricultural pension program to provide long-overdue social security and pension benefits to the country’s farmers and fisherfolk.
The lawmaker pointed out that despite being the backbone of national food security, farmers and fishermen remain among the poorest in the country.
He said that in 2023, poverty incidence was recorded at 27.0 percent among farmers and 27.4 percent among fisherfolk, placing them among the top three poorest sectors in the country. Unlike workers in the formal sector, they are largely excluded from the national social security system, leaving them vulnerable in times of old age, illness, or disability.
Oducado pointed out that the proposed measure will establish a comprehensive pension and social security program, while also offering an educational scholarship to the legitimate and legally adopted sons and daughters of registered farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries – with reasonable allowances for supplies and other academic needs.
‘This aims not only to secure their present welfare but also to break the cycle of poverty by ensuring access to quality education,’ he said.
‘Farmers and fisherfolk play an essential role in our survival and national development. It is only right that the State ensures a decent quality of life, reliable retirement support, and opportunities for their children’s future,’ Oducado also said.
The bill highlights real-life stories like that of Mang Romeo, a farmer from Nueva Ecija who, at 70, continues to toil in the fields, but despite decades of service receives no retirement support from the government.
‘His experience mirrors the plight of millions who, without social protection, are forced to work well into their senior years,’ Oducado stressed.
‘With this program, we want to give dignity, security, and hope to those who feed our nation,’ Oducado added.