General Santos City—President Marcos’ second State of the Nation Address (Sona) emphasized his strong commitment to increasing agricultural productivity and improving the lives of farmers and fisherfolk in the country. While this promise is not new, the fact that Mr. Marcos is also the agriculture secretary adds anticipation to the potential improvement for rural farmers who are at the bottom of the agricultural hierarchy.
In the tuna capital of the country, some landless farmers in the rural barangay of Tinagacan are struggling with the rising prices of basic commodities such as rice and fish products. These farmers rely on big corn farm owners for employment, starting from soil preparation to harvesting. Unfortunately, the farm owners cut corners when it comes to farm maintenance, neglecting tasks like weeding and ensuring good quality corn production. As a result, the corn plants are surrounded by tall and invasive weeds, affecting the overall harvest.
Recently, some of these landless farmworkers shared their experiences with me. After a long day of physically demanding work, two of them fell ill with a fever. Despite the blistering heat and the sudden rain in the afternoon, they continued their work to maximize their output. However, they were only able to gather two and a half sacks of corn between the two of them, earning a measly P150. The low output was due to the poor quality of corn caused by the farm owners’ neglect.
One of the farmers is a 60-year-old single mother who has been raising her two children alone for more than three decades. The other farmer is her niece-in-law, who supports her family of four children since her husband became incapacitated due to a work-related accident. Both women work in various menial jobs to make ends meet.
According to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), fisherfolk, farmers, and individuals in rural areas remain the poorest sectors in terms of subsistence incidence in 2021. More than 13 million rural-based Filipinos, including over 10 million children, belong to the rural poor. Unfortunately, the families of the two farmers are part of this statistic.
Despite President Marcos’ campaign promise to lower the price of rice, many rural farmers, including the ones I spoke to, are skeptical about whether their lives will truly improve under his administration. They feel neglected by both the national and local governments, and believe that the rhetoric about the importance of their role in agriculture is hollow.
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