Mr. Dante Villanueva has spent his entire life on the farm. Weathered face and calloused hands, he has tilled the lands of Isabela province from dawn to dusk to put food on the table for his four children, send them to school, and dream of a much better life for them.
On Thursday, May 9, Mang Dante stood not under the scorching sun of the Philippines’ summer season, but on stage at the M.I.C.E Center in Quezon City before Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Joycel Panlilio, and World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director Regis Chapman, and other stakeholders.
The senator, who led the inaugural Sagip Saka Day, has invited Mang Dante to deliver the keynote address at the event, choosing to put the spotlight on the sacrifices of farmers and fisherfolk and the glimmer of hope that continues to simmer despite systemic problems in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.
Born and raised in Cordon, Isabela Province, and a member of the Ramcor Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (RAMFARMCO), Mang Dante has known no life but that of farming. His parents, also farmers, have taught him how to tend the land that puts food on their table and the roof above their heads.
“Madaling araw pa lamang ay nasa bukid na kami. Habang ang iba ay natutulog pa, kami ay nagsisimula nang magtrabaho. Tinitiis namin ang init ng araw, putik, ulan, pagod, at sakit ng katawan dahil alam naming may mga pamilyang umaasa sa amin,” he said.
“Hindi po madali ang magsaka. Minsan, buong araw kang nagtatrabaho ngunit pag-uwi mo, iniisip mo pa rin kung sapat ba ang kinita mo para sa araw-araw na pangangailangan ng pamilya. Maraming pagkakataon na kahit gaano kasipag, tila kulang pa rin upang makaahon sa hirap,” he added.
Mang Dante shared that poverty forced him out of school after finishing high school. He followed in his parents’ footsteps, but this time he dreamed of sending his four children to college despite the challenges that continue to beset the only livelihood he knows.
So amid high production costs, unfair trading practices, lack of market access and credit programs, coupled with climate change-driven problems and inadequate infrastructure, Mang Dante persisted and joined a farmers’ cooperative that gave him and other members access to LandBank’s financing options for farmers.
“Dito kami unti-unting nakahinga dahil sa mas mababang interes at mas maayos na sistema ng pautang para sa aming pangangailangan sa bukid,” he shared.
But it wasn’t until Pangilinan’s 2019 Sagip Saka Act, which allowed national and local governments to buy food directly from farmers and fisherfolk without public bidding, that Mang Dante slowly saw his dreams come to fruition.
“Sa ngayon, may programa rin tayong Sagip Saka kung saan naibebenta namin ang aming ani sa gobyerno. Malaking tulong ito dahil mas mataas ang kanilang pagbili kumpara sa pribadong merkado,” he said, adding that RAMFARMCO has entered into contracts with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) during the last quarter of 2024 up to present and the Department of Education (DepEd) since November 2025 to supply them with food items for their feeding programs.
With a more stable income secured, Mang Dante proudly shared that his eldest has finished a business administration course, while his second-born is now a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
His third-born is finishing a criminology degree, while his youngest is currently in Senior High School.
“Sa bawat butil ng palay na aking inaani, nakikita ko ang unti-unting natupad ang kanilang mga pangarap,” he said.