NEGROS Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez filed a bill aiming to give educational assistance to children of farmers and fishers. Benitez filed House Bill 6816, or the proposed Tanim-Dunong Act, last Dec. 15.He said in the bill’s explanatory note that the measure addresses gaps “by establishing a broader, institutionalized educational assistance program for the children and dependents of farmers and fisherfolk listed in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture.” “It guarantees support for basic through tertiary education in public schools, including subsidies for educational materials, transportation, lodging, clothing and other essential needs, without limiting choice of course or field of study at the tertiary level,” he said.The bill seeks to establish an Educational Benefits for Farmers and Fisherfolk Fund as a special fund in the amount of P50 million to “carry out” its provisions.“Such fund shall be perpetually maintained and used exclusively for the benefit of children and dependents of farmers and fisherfolk,” the bill read.It allows the use of “not more than” 5 percent of the amount to administer the fund.It stated that the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education Governing Board, “in consultation with the” Department of Agriculture and three representatives from farmers and fishers, “shall have the primary responsibility of managing and supervising the fund.” “This bill is filed as a counterpart to a measure introduced by Sen. Mark Villar in the Senate, and is consistent with similar proposals filed in both chambers of Congress,” Benitez said.“Its filing affirms a shared legislative commitment to reducing rural poverty, expanding equitable access to education and honoring the essential contributions of food producers to national development,” Benitez said.