Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan pushed for a rethinking of how the country can achieve national food security and inclusive economic growth, calling for strengthened support for small-scale farmers and fishers to help them achieve their “full potential.”
The veteran lawmaker and chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform pointed out the government’s role in nurturing “policies, institutions, markets, and support systems” that will empower the nation’s food producers and improve their lives.
“Kapag nabigyan natin ng tamang pagkakataon ang maliliit na magsasaka at mangingisda na maabot ang kanilang buong kakayahan, umangat ang kita, ang full potential, hindi lamang sila ang aangat. Kasama nilang i-aangat ang kanilang mga komunidad at doon lamang matitiyak ang sustainable economic growth sa ating bansa,” he said.
“When we create a climate and an environment where small farmers and fishfolk can fully realize their individual potential, we also unlock the potential of their communities, and the rest of the nation,” he added.
The senator was the keynote speaker at the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) 51st Gawad Saka Awards held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Monday, June 29.
There, he urged a shift from mere production numbers to the actual quality of life of Filipino food producers, emphasizing that long-term sustainability and human dignity should be the true measures of agricultural development.
“To secure our food, we must secure our farmers,” he said.
Pangilinan—the author and principal sponsor of the 2019 Sagip Saka Act that allows national agencies and local governments to purchase food directly from accredited farmers’ and fisherfolk’s cooperatives without public bidding—delivered his speech before the country’s top agricultural officials, technocrats, and stakeholders.
The 51st Gawad Saka, organized by the DA and local government units (LGUs), is the department’s highest nationwide recognition for agricultural excellence. Launched in 1970, the annual program honors outstanding farmers, fisherfolk, and institutions whose innovations and sustainable practices secure the nation’s food supply and drive rural growth.
This year, 37 national winners emerged from a rigorous multi-level selection process spanning eight major categories and 47 subcategories. The awardees, representing a diverse frontier of innovation from cooperative-led irrigation to youth digital agribusinesses, received project grants and cash incentives ranging from ₱180,000 to ₱2 million to expand their enterprises.
Lauding the agri-fishery champions, Pangilinan noted that the awardees represent the blueprint for a climate-resilient and equitable agricultural sector.
He also challenged stakeholders to move away from short-term gains and work toward a future where farming and fishing families are insulated from economic shocks and the intensifying threats of climate change.
The senator, who has championed rural development, food security, and the empowerment of farmers and fisherfolk for more than a decade, will soon hold committee hearings to look into the various challenges facing the agriculture and fisheries sectors, including smuggling, overimportation, high production and input costs, climate change impacts, and post-harvest losses due to poor infrastructure.