A party-list lawmaker on Tuesday called on the House of Representatives to pass a measure establishing a fund that would provide lifetime pensions for the country’s 9.7 million small farmers and fisherfolk.

In a statement, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan pushed for the passage of House Bill 7963, which aims to establish the Agricultural Pension Fund (AFP) to be managed by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC).

“Our farmers and fisherfolk are among the poorest of the poor in our society. Despite their hard work and sacrifices to ensure that we have food on our tables, they retire without expecting any lifeline aid from the government. Providing them with pension benefits when they reach old age is a long-overdue measure,” he said.

Citing 2019 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Yamsuan noted a steady decline in the number of workers in the agriculture sector over five years – from 11.29 million in 2015 to 11.06 million in 2016; 10.26 million in 2017; 9.99 million in 2018; and 9.69 million in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

He also cited a paper published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies in 2021 that attributed the decline to population growth, diminishing farm size, and reduced incomes in agriculture.

Yamsuan said providing lifetime pensions for farmers and fisherfolk should be included in the roster of measures that the government aims to implement to encourage more workers to stay in or shift to the agriculture sector.

“This bill proposes the establishment of an agricultural pension fund that will provide them with pension benefits when they reach the age of retirement,” he said.

Under the bill, the PCIC is tasked to create a pension plan for retirees in the agriculture sector, and manage and invest in the APF to ensure its sustainability.

The PCIC, which is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, is also authorized under the measure to determine the criteria for eligibility of potential agricultural pensioners, in coordination with other relevant government agencies. (PNA)