QUEZON CITY, May 19 -- Four leading Filipino economists recommend that structural reforms are needed to remedy the plight of Philippine agri-fishery sector and reduce poverty among farmers and fishers, during the first day of the 2021 Food Security Summit organized by the Department of Agriculture (DA). For one, reforms must be made on the continued bias against agriculture in government budgetary allocation, over-regulation of markets, and monopolies, said Dr. V. Bruce J. Tolentino, current Monetary Board member of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and former DA undersecretary for policy and planning. “In the short term, it is appropriate to organize programs and activities that provide support to farmers and fishers as the reform process takes place,” said Tolentino, as he emphasized the importance of agriculture credit and insurance to ease the plight of agriculture stakeholders.