Partido Reporma senatorial candidate Guillermo Eleazar on Thursday vowed to provide more assistance to students taking courses related to agriculture and fisheries.

In a statement, Eleazar said this is to encourage more young people to help boost the country’s agriculture sector.

“Kaya maraming kabatataan ang ayaw kumuha ng agriculture-related courses ay dahil over the years, nagkaroon na ng pananaw na ang pagiging magsasaka sa ating bansa ay katumbas ng matinding kahirapan (That is why a lot of youngsters are avoiding agriculture-related courses is because farming or agriculture-based works is perceived as for the poverty-stricken),” he added.

He cited the need to focus on agriculture as most of the sector’s workers are already aging.

Citing a study from the University of the Philippines Los Baños which was also cited by the Department of Agriculture, the average age of farmers in the country is 53 and their children usually do not pursue agriculture-related courses.

The worst part, according to Eleazar, is that most farmers could not even afford to send their children to senior high school and colleges.

Eleazar said the additional scholarship slots for agriculture and fisheries-related courses should prioritize children of farmers and fishermen.

Aside from additional scholarship slots, Eleazar said more funds for their allowances, practical application of what they would learn and training, seminars, and post-graduate scholarships should also be extended to them.

As this developed, Eleazar faced the community of the University of Santo Thomas (UST) in a virtual interview on March 22 where he revealed the reasons which prompted him to run for Senate.

Eleazar is one of the more than 50 UST alumni who are running for different national and local posts in the May 9 elections. Before he entered the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1983, Eleazar took up engineering in UST for one year.

Despite being in the UST only for a brief period of time, Eleazar said that its core values of competence, compassion, and commitment helped shape his character when he entered the PMA and later on when he became a police officer.

This same set of values is what guided Eleazar when he decided to run for Senate after being in the uniformed service for nearly four decades.

Eleazar’s platform is focused on improving the peace and order situation in the country, including the strengthening of the operational and investigative capabilities of law enforcement agencies.

“I go by the principle that one of the strongest foundations of economic development ay ang (is) peace and order at security. The best crime prevention strategy is the assurance that those who will be committing violations of the law will be caught and punished,” he stressed.

Aside from this, Eleazar is also advocating for public health and safety, livelihood and food security, and the empowerment of the youth. (PNA)