Former Senator and independent senatorial candidate Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan emphasized the need for the full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act as a means to bring down prices of rice and other agricultural products.
Pangilinan said the Sagip Saka Act, which he championed in the Senate as principal author, allows the national and local governments to directly purchase from farmers and fishermen without public bidding.
“Iyon dapat, full implementation ng Sagip Saka Act, para bumaba ang presyo at matulungan ang ating mga magsasaka,” Pangilinan said, stressing that a whole-of-government approach is needed for its full implementation.
The former Senator said concerned government agencies, such as the Departments of Agriculture, Interior and Local Government, Education, and Social Welfare, along with local government units, must closely coordinate and purchase their needed food supply directly from local farmers.
“Lahat sila mag-group chat, para lahat ng pagkain na binibili nila, bilhin nila nang rekta sa mga magsasaka sa tamang presyo,” Pangilinan said.
The purchased food can be used in jails, provincial and regional hospitals, military and police camps, and their respective social services initiatives. It can also be distributed to public markets and Kadiwa centers so the public can get access to affordable food products.
Pangilinan recently launched the Oplan Sagip Kamatis in Nueva Ecija, where he purchased some 12 tons of surplus tomatoes. The Muntinlupa City government purchased five tons at P25 per kilo, significantly higher than the prevailing market price of ₱4 per kilo, for its feeding programs and calamity relief efforts.
The move enabled the Muntinlupa City government to save money by eliminating the need for a middleman, while also providing farmers with additional income by ensuring their products were purchased at fair prices.
“Ang presyo ng kamatis sa Maynila isandaang piso. Ang laki ng kinikita ng middlemen, na halos triple. Mahigit triple ang presyo sa Maynila, pero pag direktang binili sa magsasaka at dinala sa Maynila direkta, thirty pesos lang, so nakatipid ang LGU, maganda ang kita ng farmers. Iyon ang Sagip Saka Act,” Pangilinan emphasized.
“Pag mababa na ang presyo ng pagkain, mas marami tayong mabibili. At pag maraming mabibili, mas marami tayong handa. At pag maraming handa, marami tayong Sharon (take home),” he added.
During his term food security czar from June 2014 to September 2015 under the administration of President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III, Pangilinan successfully reduced rice prices up to P3 pesos per kilo through various interventions.
He also reduced rice inflation from 15 percent to 0.8 percent in a span of one year. It also brought down nationwide inflation to 1.5 percent, the lowest rate in 20 years.