President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has expressed his support for the “Bayani ng Pilipinas (Hero of the Philippines)” advocacy to promote farming in the country, Malacañang said Wednesday.

This, after the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), in a meeting with Marcos at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Tuesday, pitched the Bayani ng Pilipinas campaign to advocate farming as a “good way of life” and encourage the younger generation to pursue farming as a profession.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the PSAC wants to champion local farmers as the country’s heroes, considering their sacrifice to provide food for Filipinos and sustain the supply.

Marcos said the government would start formulating ideas to better promote the project.

“Yes, it’s hard (farming) but look what they, how, what they do. If, you know, if they didn’t farm, we wouldn’t have anything to eat,” Marcos told the PSAC, as quoted by the PCO.

Garafil said campaign materials would be produced and effective strategies would be implemented to ensure the campaign’s success.

She said the advocacy is also one way of celebrating and empowering Filipino farmers.

“The President is prioritizing the agricultural sector to uplift farmers and fisherfolk to promote food security in the country,” Garafil said.

The government, through the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk, and their Families (PAFFF), has distributed PHP906 million in assistance to over 90,000 beneficiaries in Cagayan Valley, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccksksargen, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao from May 9, 2024 to June 5, 2024.

Several irrigation projects have also been completed and rehabilitated by the Marcos administration to develop Philippine agriculture.

A total of 2.16 million hectares of service area, or 68.88 percent of the country’s estimated 3.13 million hectares of total irrigable area, have been developed as of December 2023. (PNA)