A GOVERNMENT led by presidential candidate Leni Robredo will usher in a farming boom “that will feed the nation,” her runningmate, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, said.The senator contrasted it to a Marcos presidency that he said would only nurture “troll farms that will only produce lies.”Pangilinan described the vice president “as a pro-farmer leader who has a clear pro-farmer plan,” while her rival, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is “a digital plantation owner where hate is raised.”“And that is the great difference, in experience and in outlook,” he said, adding that “it is a difference that will either make us a food-secure country or a hungry nation.”Pangilinan said Robredo has first-hand experience in studying the complexities of the food value chain.“She’s a lawyer who represented landless farmers, a development worker who joined programs that raised incomes in communities, a lawmaker who focused on food and nutrition, a homemaker who goes to the market to buy food,” the senator said.“When it comes to farming issues, she’s a boots-on-the-ground type,” Pangilinan said., adding that “actually, naka-tsinelas or barefoot pa nga kasi while others spend their Sundays on lunches, nasa distrito nya, kung saan may mga magsasaka, si VP Leni.”“Kapag lumubog ka sa komunidad, it is an immersion that teaches you more on what farmers are experiencing more than reading about their plight in a PowerPoint presentation,” he said.“Yung katunggali ba namin, kelan ba nadumihan ang kuko o paa nila ng putik of lupa?” Pangilinan, who personally grows vegetables in a small farm lot in Cavite, asked.Robredo, as vice president, has implemented pro-poor programs that benefitted farmers and farming communities. Her flagship Angat Buhay Program has focused on helping farmers and fisherfolk increase productivity and bring their produce straight to the market, he said.The vice president had said that if elected into office she intends to allot at least P116 billion for agriculture, more than double what the Duterte administration allocated in 2021.Robredo is also known to be an advocate for equitable distribution of the agriculture fund, especially for more climate-resilient crops. (PR)