A lawmaker has proposed a measure to create an Agricultural Pension Program for the country’s farmers and fishermen, citing their exclusion from the national social security system despite being the backbone of national food security.
Rep. Nathaniel Oducado of 1Tahanan Party-list filed House Bill No. 5009, or the “Pensyonadong Magsasaka at Mangingisda,” to provide “long-overdue social security and pension benefits” to the country’s agricultural and fishing sectors.
Oducado said farmers and fishermen remain among the poorest in the country. 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.
“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,” the lawmaker said.
The proposed bill would establish a comprehensive pension and social security program. It would also offer an educational scholarship to the legitimate and legally adopted sons and daughters of registered farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries, which includes 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,” Oducado 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,” he said.
The bill highlights real-life stories such as that of Mang Romeo, a farmer from Nueva Ecija who, at 70, continues to toil in the fields without receiving any retirement support from the government despite decades of service.
“His experience mirrors the plight of millions who, without social protection, are forced to work well into their senior years,” Oducado said.
“With this program, we want to give dignity, security and hope to those who feed our nation,” he said.
