Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan urged the Senate to pass twin agricultural reform measures—the proposed Agricultural and Fisheries Cooperatives Act and the Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act—as the escalating tensions in the Middle East threaten global food supply chains and drive up prices of essential commodities. 

The twin bills will complement his 2019 Sagip Saka Act, which allows national government agencies and local government units to purchase food directly from farmers and fisherfolk without public bidding. 

In his sponsorship speeches for the proposed bills on Wednesday, March 18, the senator underscored the need to act decisively in strengthening local food production and reducing dependence on imports. 

“Sabi nga po nila, ‘to secure our food, we must first secure our farmers and fisherfolks’ and para ma-secure ang kanilang kagalingan at kahusayan, kailangan nating ma-organisa at mapalakas ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda, lalo na ang kanilang kabuhayan at sa bayanihan na natural lamang na dumadaloy sa ating dugong Pilipino,” he said in his sponsorship speech for the Senate Bill 1990 under Committee Report No. 52, which aims to strengthen agricultural and fisheries cooperatives in the country. 

The proposed measure will cover entire value supply chains, including inputs, production, processing, logistics, marketing, savings and credit, farm education, agri‑tourism, digital agriculture, and climate‑resilient safety nets.

It will also provide tax incentives and encourage government banks and financial institutions to extend preferential treatment to agri and fisheries cooperatives. 

Doing so will strengthen their financial positions, empowering them to achieve economies of scale that they can use to enter into negotiated contracts with government agencies and instrumentalities under the Sagip Saka Act. 

Pangilinan is also pushing for the passage of the measure to renationalize the agricultural extension services “to address precisely that serious and wide gap in terms of agricultural governance sa bansa.”

The proposed bill will bring extension service workers down to the municipal level, ensuring the timely and efficient implementation of government programs and the distribution of assistance to farmers and fisherfolk. 

The senator called the passage of these bills an investment in the systematic expansion of the country’s food supply chain because farmers and fisherfolk need not only government aid and subsidies but also proper training in climate-smart agriculture, technologies, insurance, and other areas. 

“In the end Mr. President, when I was food security secretary in 2014 and 2015, the country was importing 10 billion dollars worth of agriculture products. Today, 10 years later, we are importing double. 20 billion dollars worth of agriculture products. It is not right,” Pangilinan said in his sponsorship speech for Senate Bill 1991 under Committee Report No. 53, or the Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act. 

“We have to correct, Mr. President – the broken system of agriculture systems in the country. Mahirap pa rin ang ating mga magsasaka. Baon pa sa mga utang. Puro import pa ang nangyayari sa ating pagkain kaya these twin measures Mr. President that will re-structure the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Mr. President, I believe is the way forward,” he added. 

The senator emphasized that food security must remain a top national priority and urged fellow lawmakers to prioritize these bills to protect the country from future food crises.