Faces void of misery fill the crop fields as the looming liability becomes near of reach. The recent update from January regarding the Philippines’ domestic debt reflected an amount reaching P11.08 trillion, garnering 1.41% increase from the previous year’s debt. The data inclines a huge amount that gives the citizens a responsibility to keep track of, and government units are not the only ones suffering, farmers are to be noted too.
When the people on the top suffer, automatically, those working in the receiving lower end bleed the repercussions of their storm. The Philippine debt had been one of the most constant debates in the country, whether about taxes and the impactful inflation rate. This year’s national budget amounts up to P6,326.3 billion, equating to the 2025 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 22% in which 11% are contributed by the agriculture sector, yet the country’s debt does not seem to be shaken a bit. It is no longer a matter of who contributes most, but rather how the higher ups handle everything within their hands.
The agriculture sector shares a vital role in shaping the GDP of the country, but if compared to other sectors, it remains underfunded. While initiatives like subsidies, irrigation, and insurance could be deemed effective in most cases, it only adds up to the existing debt of the country. And the bottom line is, those who contribute more to solve the existing financial crisis of the country are also the ones who do not receive as much attention from the government when needed.
The Philippines’ national debt began to increase drastically under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s reign in the 1970s. The borrowed large sum of foreign money was used to fund government projects but never to improve the agriculture of the country. Today, a president with the same surname is seated in the same hierarchy of power, earning doubts from the masses whether he is any different from the person where taxes were rooted from.
While past administrations also made a contribution to the current debt of the country, undeniably, refusing to fund the agriculture sector despite borrowing large amounts of money for every administration should be noted. We are already facing a decline in agriculture from then until now, with the current resource crisis due to inflation rate, farming sectors will continue to struggle, and as the biggest contributor to the GDP of the country, the economy will also continue to absorb difficulties in paying the national debt. While agriculture is not a primary driver of the economy, it is significantly affected when right usage is not maximized.
Moreover, investing in agriculture and addressing the need to improve the sector was not supposed to be the main problem, it is the inability to divert broader focus toward one of the sectors that contributes most to the economy. Farmers and fisheries across the country face various problems other than taxes caused by national debts, there are the existing but inefficient transportation systems, limited financial access, and product quality safety. In spite of this, the sector continues to strive to produce enough resources and products to meet the needs of the Filipinos while making sure to contribute to the country’s GDP.
Gaining and losing at the same time is not a new occurrence within the farming industry. In reality, when farmers gain an average sum of money from agricultural businesses and production, it is then that taxes enter the picture. Agriculture, in general, does not just contribute to the economy, farmers do too, individually. While we try to solve the dreadful issue within the current debt of the country, big contributors like agriculturists struggle to face both contributing for the sake of our GDP improvement and living off to survive this incompetent country at the same time.
Our country’s national debt may be high, but being a top producer for various agricultural products can be commendable despite the underlying issues faced today. Let us not just focus on giving voice towards the problem, let there be light too. The government should focus on sustainable practices, infrastructure improvements, and better funding access as well as assistance. For the past years, we have been facing a struggling economy, now is the time to rise for better and practical solutions to this debt-bound misery.
