Press Release
January 2, 2009

ANGARA EYES 1M JOBS IN 2009 THROUGH
A RURAL EMPLOYMENT GENERATION PROGRAM

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today urged his colleagues to prioritize enactment of a Rural Employment Generation program which seeks to spur job creation in the countryside through the development of idle lands in 2009.

"There is a need to accelerate the development of idle and underutilized agricultural land throughout the country as a means of generating rural economic activity, especially since majority of our country's poor population belongs to the rural sector. In generating rural employment, it is anticipated that at least one person will find employment for every hectare developed, with an increase in income of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (Php 25,000.00) per farmer," said Angara who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance.

He added, "Through the enactment of the Rural Employment Generation bill which I filed one million hectares if idle and underutilized lands will be converted into modern productive agricultural resources. In the process, it is expected that one million rural jobs will be created, with annual farm incomes of at least Twenty Five Thousand Pesos per hectare being generated."

Angara announced that estimates show that as much as five million Filipinos in the rural sector are either unemployed or underemployed. Although the employment in the rural sector is largely seasonal, much of the unemployment and underemployment can be attributed to underutilization of agricultural lands throughout the country.

Through the bill, corn, cassava and high value commercial crops shall be planted throughout the country with the Department of Agriculture (DA) serving as lead agency. Tie-ups between the private sector and government will be necessary, including collaborations between agribusiness companies and farmer-beneficiaries.

DA shall undertake the development of a total of 845,000 hectares of idle or underutilized agricultural land, to be planted hybrid corn, cassava and high value commercial crops ("HVCC") over a period of two years

The Rural Employment Generation Program will generate rural employment valued at 10.354 Billion Pesos and private sector investments of 10.605 Billion Pesos. More importantly, with an improvement in our country's rural employment level, it is anticipated that rural poverty will drastically be reduced.

The program shall also have the following features: (1) development of Modern Technology Systems; (2) Production Credit Support to farmers and; (3) Human Resource Development through training of farmers.

Angara also announced that an Agricultural Development Fund will be established through this bill, in the amount of Pesos Five Billion Five Hundred Fifty One Million (Php 5,551,000,000.00) for the first year and Pesos Four Billion Seventy Eight Million (Php 4,078,000,000.00) in the second year of the Program.

"In 2009, we expect the effects of the global financial crisis to hit our homes. It is therefore imperative for us to initiate efforts toward providing jobs in the countryside and increase spending power of the poor in the rural sector," added Angara.

Angara, who is a former Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) from 1999-2001, also formerly chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM).

He has authored significant legislations in agriculture including the Agriculture Fisheries and Modernization Act (AFMA), a masterplan for agricultural modernization which other countries in Southeast Asia have adopted.

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