This is not to ask questions, but to request for a submission. In the budget hearings of the DBCC, we requested for the purchases of LGUs, of food items – annual. And the DBM provided us with data that the national government purchases about 74 billion pesos worth of food annually.
This is in connection with the Sagip Saka Law, where (the) government is to purchase food items, agriculture products directly from farmers and fisher folk organizations,without the cumbersome bidding process. In other words, it’s exempted. And of course, the EOs that the President recently issued.
We asked for the data for local governments. And then Secretary Pangandaman said they don’t have the data, but they will secure it. So hopefully, before we approve this on second reading, just for the information of our secretaries, I spoke to Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and the province of Cavite, for example, allocates about 5% of its entire budget for disaster and calamity relief, which includes relief operations, and they buy 350 million pesos worth of rice annually.
So you can imagine the effect or impact if a portion of that 350 million pesos worth of rice is purchased directly from farmers’ organizations at the right price. And that’s just one province. So hopefully, the local government finance bureau of the Department of Finance can put together the data and submit it to us before we approve this on second reading.
It will help us as we oversee the full implementation of the law. Thank you. Thank you, distinguished sponsor.