Lawmakers back call to prioritize farmworkers in vaccine plan

At least six lawmakers from both chambers of Congress are pushing to move agricultural workers up on the vaccine priority list as the government finally begins the inoculation of Filipinos.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, head of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, particularly wants the inclusion of “viajeros,” or traders and wet market retailers, in the front line of vaccine programs as they have been during the height of the pandemic.

Farm and food workers remain underrepresented despite their crucial role in maintaining food security.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, who also supported the move, noted that most farmers do not have access to hospitals and are without IDs, which would make it difficult for them to secure the needed jabs.

“They are the ones who are most exposed. They link consumers to farmers. They deserve to be part of the priority list,” said Villar, pertaining to food traders and retailers.

Although the national government has deemed food industry workers to be essential—including farmers, fishers and other members of the agriculture value chain—it remains to be seen how soon they will be immunized.

It was only on Monday when the Philippines started vaccinations against the coronavirus using Sinovac Biotech Ltd. doses donated by China.

Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the Department of the Interior and Local Government, said that of the 600,000 doses donated, 500,000 would be administered to health workers while the remaining 100,000 would be given to military personnel as per China’s request.

Ensuring food security

Others who pledged their support to the inclusion of farmers and fishers in the first wave of inoculation were Senators Risa Hontiveros and Grace Poe as well Representatives Argel Cabatbat and Conrado Estrella III.

“[Farmers and fisherfolk] are also victims of the pandemic and their plight has been worsened by the series of typhoons that came. And yet, they toil every day to ensure that Filipinos would not go hungry. This is why they should be part of the prioritized in the government’s game plan to control COVID-19,” Pangilinan said.

Estrella said many local governments whose residents are mostly farmers and fishers in poor municipalities reached out to his office for help as most of their budgets were used to fund programs meant to squash the impact of the pandemic.

“Many small-scale fishers, farmers and agricultural workers are asking when and how they would be vaccinated,” he added.

Hontiveros urged the Department of Agriculture to step up and swiftly make representations to the vaccine committee to include all food producers in the inoculation plan.

“Our farmers and fisherfolk are key to ensuring food security, especially now that we are facing an impending hunger crisis as food prices continue to soar. Food producers should be healthy to ensure sustainability of production, thus it is imperative to recategorize them as essential workers in the vaccination priority list,” she added. INQ