Partylist lawmaker urges Senate to act on measure revitalizing salt industry to help create 100,000 jobs

Bicol Saro Partylist Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan has urged the Senate to fasttrack the approval of its counterpart measure that aims to revitalize the country’s salt industry to help create about 100,000 jobs in the agriculture sector.

Yamsuan made the call following the overwhelming approval by the House of Representatives on third and final reading last week of House Bill (HB) 8278 or the proposed Philippine Salt Industry Development Act.

HB 8278, of which Yamsuan is among the principal authors, aims to create a comprehensive plan for the salt industry to increase domestic production and boost investments in this sector.

Citing a statement from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Yamsuan said crafting and implementing a roadmap for the development of the salt industry would create 20,000 direct jobs and another 80,000 indirect or related jobs in the agriculture sector.

“However, we can only realize this goal if we have solid funding to help our salt farmers access the technology and equipment they need to boost production. This is why we are urging the Senate to swiftly act on its counterpart measure for the revival of our salt industry once Congress resumes its session next month,” Yamsuan said.

Besides Yamsuan, among the other principal authors of HB 8278 are Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. and National Unity Party (NUP) president LRay Villafuerte; 5th District Rep. Migz Villafuerte and 1st District Rep. Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, both of Camarines Sur; Benguet Rep. Eric Yap; Agri Partylist Rep. Wilbert Lee; Kabayan Partylist Ron Salo; and Pangasinan 5th District Rep. Ramon Guico Jr.

The Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) has included the bill among the priority measures of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Yamsuan pointed out that on top of modernizing the industry, salt producers also need to expand their market linkages to be able to promote Philippine salt in both the domestic and foreign markets not only as a food flavoring, but also as a key element in various industries.

“Being an archipelagic country, we have a vast shoreline that can be utilized to produce salt. Sadly, instead of harnessing this natural advantage to develop the salt industry, our salt production has drastically declined and we have been importing 93 percent of our salt requirements for the past years,” Yamsuan said.

Under the House-approved measure, salt–whether unprocessed or processed–is classified as a basic agricultural product with all its necessary legal and regulatory implications.

HB 8278 creates the Philippine Salt Industry Development Council (PSIDC) which is tasked to formulate the Philippine Salt Industry Development Roadmap.

The roadmap outlines the short-, medium-, and long-term development plan to accelerate the modernization and industrialization of the salt industry.

Through the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the PSIDC will also put up new small-scale artisanal salt farms.

The PSIDC will likewise provide development funds, technical assistance, and equipment to salt farmers and the industry, among its other functions.