Candidates of the administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas (APBP) senatorial slate have vowed to support the agricultural economy of Negros Oriental.

In their pre-rally press conference on Thursday, Alyansa bets shared their plans on helping farmers boost the sector as Negros Oriental remains one of the country’s agricultural sites.

Former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III proposed that 50 percent of all farmer outputs be sold to the government at farmgate price.

“[Buying] at the farmer’s price, not at the trader’s price. So the farmers will earn and their income will be bigger. [Buy] all agriculture products, that is our proposal. If we need to put it into law, we will put it into law,” he said.

Former senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson shared similar ideas. Lacson proposed institutionalizing the Kadiwa market.

He learned that the Kadiwa stores in Negros Oriental had the same problems as the stores in Laoag City, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s bailiwick.

“On the way here from the airport we passed by a Kadiwa store, so I asked the person who picked me up how active the Kadiwa store was here. He said not very much because there are many missing items,” Lacson said.

“So I asked my team to study this. Why can’t we institutionalize the Kadiwa store by way of legislation?” he said.

Former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and Representative Camille Villar, meanwhile, want to modernize farming practices in order to yield more produce.

“We have to help our farmers modernize and manage their farms well. So, whether it’s additional training or a new machine, we can provide that to make sure they will be able to efficiently farm their lands and produce their goods,” the lawmaker from Las Piñas said.

Abalos proposed that the government provide support to the farmers and lend them capital for planting crops. He also wants to look into climate change and to establish crop insurance in case of calamities.