Roxas hit on his low-interest loan solution to fisherfolk

Roxas hit on his low-interest loan solution to fisherfolkmar_roxas.jpg

Manila, Philippines – Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Mar Roxas earned the ire of the fisherfolk group for his answer on how to alleviate the poverty among fisherfolk asked to him during yesterday’s first Presidential debate.

In a statement, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya-Pilipinas), an alliance of fisherfolk organizations in the Philippines said that Roxas’ solution to provide fisherfolk a lower interest loans is an insult to the sector.

The fisherfolk are already buried in debt due to the high cost of production and yet Roxas is imposing offering loan grants to this sector as a remedy. It is like paying debt thru another debt.  Is he out of his mind? The high interest on loans is not the main reason why the fisherfolk suffer from poverty, but this is just the effect of the lack of government’s adequate support and services that will uplift their impoverished lives.

“The mere fact that the fisherfolk are borrowing money to provide for the needs of their production clearly shows that poverty is evident among their sector, thus disproving Roxas’ conclusion that high-interest loans are the reason for the fishers’ poverty.” Salvador France, Pamalakaya vice-chairperson said in a statement.

Pamalakaya said that it is the high-cost of production, backward fishing technologies, and a current fisheries law that is not serving the interests and welfare of the fisherfolk are the main culprits why the fishers remains the poorest of the poor.

Roxas is really a disappointment. From the time he filed his certificate of candidacy last year, we already closed our doors on him and that he is no longer a contention in the 2016 Presidential race for he is just the extension of President Aquino’s ‘daang matuwid’ which gives no better to the Filipino people.” France ended. ###

Please follow and like us:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.