SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said the government should focus on improving the quality of education and making agriculture profitable.
”These are the issues that deserve our attention and concerted effort,” Cayetano said in a Facebook livestream on Friday.
He called for the restoration of full-day classes in public schools, noting it would give students more time to learn and be on par with their counterparts in other Asian countries.
”Until we bring back the school to the whole day, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., we won’t be able to compete with Vietnam, Japan, Korea and other countries that give their children the full benefits of education,” he said.
”In private schools, there is no such problem. So, what will happen then? The rich will get even richer, and the poor will get even poorer,” Cayetano added.
Cayetano said the government must find ways to make farming financially viable, noting that farmers’ children are increasingly reluctant to enter the sector because of low income.
”Their children no longer want to go into agriculture because there’s no money in it. So, we have to find what aspect of agriculture can make it work — what can make it profitable,” he said.
Cayetano said these concerns should figure prominently in the crafting of the national budget and other government policies.
”I’m not anti-administration, I’m not anti-US, I’m not anti-China. I am pro-Philippines,” he said.
The Senate opened committee deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget on Aug. 27. The Senate Finance Committee has been conducting hearings on agency spending proposals, with plenary debates targeted for November and passage expected before the end of the year.
