SENATOR Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan renewed his call for stronger government action to increase the income of farmers, emphasizing that empowering the agricultural sector and its workers is critical to ensuring food security and rural prosperity in the country.
In his interpellation of Senator Raffy Tulfo’s privileged speech about possible amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) during the Senate’s regular session on Monday, August 4, the senator underscored the urgent need to make increased revenues the benchmark for government interventions in the agricultural sector.
He cited several best practices in neighboring countries such as China, Vietnam, and Thailand, which have made increased farmers’ revenues the measurement of success for their governments’ agricultural programs and projects.
“Pinakain ang mamamayang Pilipino pero ano ang sinukli ng lipunan? What did society, in return, give them (farmers) for their sacrifice?,” Pangilinan asked as he lamented how farmers continue to languish in poverty. “Anong klaseng lipunan ang sasabihing katanggap-tanggap ito? Kaya ito ang dahilan bakit nais nating imbestigahan ang isyu na ito at magawan ng paraan.”
In one of his first moves in the 20th Congress, the senator filed a Senate Resolution seeking to investigate and possibly amend the RTL and revive the regulatory powers of the National Food Authority (NFA) to secure and stabilize the supply of rice in the country.
“Our farmers have been unjustly denied the support and the recognition of a society who has been fed by them. Makakaasa kayo na we will look into this and find solutions and recommend solutions,” Pangilinan, who is now chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, said.
“Your Committee on Agriculture will actively pursue the issue of the Rice Tariffication measure and how we will address the challenges of reforming or amending or revising it, so we can address the gaps,” he added.
The senator had been a staunch advocate of rural development and farmers’ empowerment for more than a decade. He has pushed for the adoption of cluster farming models that organize small farms into larger cooperative production areas, allowing farmers to achieve economies of scale, improve market access, and increase profitability.
Aside from amendments to the RTL, Pangilinan also wants an investigation into the failure to fully implement the 2019 Sagip Saka Act, a law he authored to allow the national and local governments to purchase food directly from farmers and fisherfolk.
He also filed a Senate Resolution to investigate the high prices of food and the impact of commercial fishing inside the 15-kilometer municipal waters on small-scale fishers.
Some of his proposed laws for the 20th Congress are the Libreng Almusal Act, the creation of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the passage of the Agricultural Land Conversion Ban and the Post-Harvest Facilities Support Act.
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