Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso vowed to strengthen the country’s agriculture sector by including it in the current Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses to ensure food security.
In his campaign sortie in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday, Domagoso vowed to invest in STEM courses and include Agriculture to make students in the province, and in other parts of the country as well, become competitive with other countries.
“Kaya yung STEM magiging STEAM. S, T, E tapos may A na plus M. A is for agriculture na ibabalik natin as part ng curriculum kung paano makapaghanap-buhay ang tao sa pagsasaka o pagtatanim (The STEM will become STEAM. A will stand for agriculture that we will try to revive as part of the curriculum to help people whose livelihood is farming),” he said.
Domagoso said that strengthening agriculture courses in the province is very important considering the fact that the bulk of its economy is reliant on agriculture, as most of the rural areas in the country.
Moreover, he said that investing in STEAM courses will better equip students taking the course with technical knowledge making them at par with foreign students.
While visiting different provinces in the country to campaign, Domagoso said that he saw the suffering of farmers who in reality, are the ones feeding the whole nation and providing sustainable food security.
Meanwhile, Domagoso emphasized the importance of a reintegration program for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
For this, he said that the government can tap government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“Maaaring meron sila kaunting ipon o bahay yung iba wala pa. Paano natin sila mai-integrate? Dalawang bagay yan, sila ay makapaghanap-buhay through DTI or bumalik sa pagtatanim, sa agriculture. Kailangan naman nila ng gobyerno uli’t doon, ang Department of Agriculture. Kumbaga ito yung mga dapat na iniisip natin kaysa yung mga away-away lang ng mga pulitiko (They may have small savings or may have their own house, but there are also those who do not have savings. How can we integrate them? They can have their own business through DTI, or do farming and we will need the help of DA. In short, these are the issues that must be addressed instead of quarreling political rivalries),” he said.
Domagoso reiterated that his administration will focus on an economic policy promoting “Life and Livelihood” under his 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda that will aim to address poverty, hunger, unemployment, inequality, and social injustice through an inclusive and equitable infrastructure development program. (PNA)
