FILE PHOTO: Senator Cynthia Villar. Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar has filed her priority bills for the 19th Congress, with most of them centered on spurring the country’s agricultural growth, conserving the environment, and empowering Filipino entrepreneurs.
Villar will remain at the helm of the Senate committees on agriculture, and environment, natural resources, and climate change, proposing 20 priority measures on Wednesday.
READ: LIST: Senate committee chairmanships for 19th Congress
Boosting livestock, agriculture
Villar said in a statement that her bills aim to improve food sustainability and sufficiency in the country by providing safe and nutritious livestock, poultry, and dairy products to the Filipino people.
She cited the adversities faced by the P260 billion local swine industry upon the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak, which later wiped out several hog farms and growers.
The growth of Philippine agriculture was significantly hampered since the highly contagious COVID-19 hit the country in 2020.
READ: Agri output still affected two years since ASF outbreak
Villar further said that until now, the ASF continues to move into areas previously not infested by the virus gradually.
A bird flu outbreak is also feared as new cases were recently detected in Luzon and Mindanao, she added.
READ: New bird flu cases detected in Luzon, Mindanao
With this in mind, Villar filed the Livestock, Poultry and Dairy Development and Competitiveness Act of 2022 and the Yellow Corn Industry Development Act of 2022, which she said were drafted with the help of the National Economic and Development Authority, and other concerned stakeholders.
Environment and economy
Conserving the coastal environment is also important for Villar as she deemed it “among the most productive and biologically diverse landscapes known to man.”
“Coastal and marine areas are vital sources of food, minerals and raw materials while marine-related economic activities, including fisheries, marine transportation, tourism, coastal mining, and offshore oil and gas development make significant contributions to a country’s [gross domestic product], as well as provide livelihood and employment opportunities to coastal communities,” she added.
Among Villar’s proposed measures under this objective are the National Wetlands Conservation Act, Revised Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, Integrated Coastal Management, National Mangrove Forest Protection and Preservation, and Rainwater Harvesting Facility.
Filipino entrepreneurs
On top of all these, Villar filed a bill to declare the month of November as “Buy Pinoy, Build Pinoy” month.
She said this will help “inculcate in every Filipino the wisdom of supporting our very own Filipino-made products and [giving recognition to] Filipino producers.”
The Small and Medium Enterprises Stock Exchange bill, which grants assistance to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise owners seeking financing requirements, was also a priority for the legislator.
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