SENATOR Mark Villar filed a measure providing educational assistance to children and dependents of farmers and fisherfolks.

Senate Bill 1668 or the proposed Educational Assistance for Children and Dependents of Farmers and Fisherfolks Act seeks to grant educational assistance to the children and dependents of farmers and fishermen until they finish college.

The aid includes free educational materials, board and lodging, transportation expense, clothing and other similar expenses.

Villar lamented that agricultural workers continue to be one of the poorest and most marginalized populations.

He said that farmers and fishermen should be given assistance as education can be used to combat poverty and to advance the economy.

Based on the information from the Philippine Statistics Authority, farmers and fisherfolks have the highest poverty incidence among the basic sectors.