Farmers’ groups have criticized the Marcos Jr. administration over the worsening poverty in the country, saying its policies continue to fail millions of poor Filipino families.
The statement comes after the March 2025 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that 52% of Filipino families—or around 14.4 million—consider themselves poor.
Danilo Ramos, chairperson of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), said the survey confirms how the government has neglected both rural and urban poor communities. “Farmers continue to suffer due to lack of government support, while the urban poor are burdened by soaring prices and lack of job opportunities,” he said in a The Manila Times report.
Women farmers, according to Amihan Women Secretary General Cathy Estavillo, are among the hardest hit. She pointed out that “discrimination against peasant women persists” and many are denied access to any form of assistance. She also raised alarm over land-use conversion and land grabbing, which displaces entire farming families and deepens their poverty.
Although the inflation rate slowed to 1.8% in March 2025, both Ramos and Estavillo argued this isn’t a sign of recovery. “It only means that prices are increasing at a slower rate—not that they are going down,” Ramos explained.
He further criticized the government’s dependence on imports and foreign investments. “The Marcos administration — like those before it — has failed to prioritize strengthening our main productive sectors: agriculture and manufacturing,” Ramos said, stressing that the country still lacks a national industry that can support food production and job creation.
Estavillo echoed this, saying that many Filipinos are trapped in low-wage, insecure jobs, especially in the informal sector. “Worse, many workers do not even receive the minimum wage or any benefits,” she said.
The groups are now calling for immediate and genuine agrarian reform. They urged the administration to abandon import-reliant policies and instead focus on supporting local agriculture and self-sufficiency.
