Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangillinan, who now chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, is pushing for the strengthening and expansion of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) extension services to reach farmers in the provinces.
The senator lamented that currently, farmers couldn’t access the DA’s services because the agency only has regional offices.
“Ang extension service ay mali at pag hindi nakaugnay yung DA sa lupa, parang tanim (na) hindi tutubo. Kailangan nakatutuok,” Pangilinan said. “Nais nating dagdagan ng extension service na programa hindi sa regional level. Dapat minimum hanggang probinsya.”
The senator cited the state of farmers in Cavite, where his farm is also located.
“Kung kinakailangan nilang tutukan ang ating extension service, paano na eh andon sila sa Lipa? Ang biyahe papuntang Lipa eh kulang-kulang tatlong oras,” he said during a meeting last Thursday, July 31, with the Yakap at Halik Cooperative in Bailen, Cavite.
In a separate visit to Los Baños on Saturday, August 2, Pangilinan held the same discussions with a local farmers’ cooperative, underscoring the need for government services to reach localities.
“Paano matutukan ng DA yung pangangailangan ng magsasaka dito (sa Los Baños) at magsasaka sa amin (sa Cavite) kung walang extension na sapat para matutukan?,” the senator asked. “Hanapan natin ng paraan yan yang suporta na maibibigay sa inyo.”
He likewise told the cooperative to urge their local chief executives to fully implement the Sagip Saka Act by convincing Metro Manila-based mayors to purchase produce directly from the farmers.
Under the 2019 Sagip Saka Act, the national and local governments can purchase produce directly from farmers and fisherfolk without public bidding.