Farmers' and fishers' champion Kiko Pangilinan accepts LP nomination, will run for Senate in 2022

"Agriculture nang agriculture" Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan has accepted the nomination of the Liberal Party as one of its senatorial candidates in 2022.

"Tinatanggap ko at ako'y nagpapasalamat doon sa ating NECO na tayo'y isa sa mga kandidato ng Partido Liberal na ineendorso para sa May 2022 elections," Pangilinan said.

The Liberal Party on Tuesday convened its National Executive Council (NECO) to announce its initial list of party and guest candidates in 2022.

Pangilinan, who is the president of the Liberal Party, is currently serving his fresh third term as senator.

"I think another six years in the Senate will help us further champion the cause of our farmers and our fisherfolk," he said.

Noting the worsening problem of hunger during this Covid-19 pandemic, Pangilinan said that food security should be urgently addressed to better the lives of Filipinos.

"Lalong tumindi ang gutom dahil nga dito sa pandemya. Maraming nawalan ng trabaho at marami ang nagugutom. Ipaglalaban natin 'yung maayos na pagkain para sa lahat, para sa ating mga mahal sa buhay," he said.

Pangilinan is principal author of the Sagip Saka Law of 2019, a game-changing law which aims to put healthy food on every Filipino family's dining table by making agriculture more productive and profitable for Filipino farmers and fisherfolk.

As of November 2020, a total of 443 local government units directly purchased from farmers, increasing their income by P2.7 billion.

Sagip Saka allows for easier access to food and other agricultural commodities during the many Covid lockdowns.

Pangilinan previously served as Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agriculture Modernization (PAFSAM) from 2014-2015.

As PAFSAM, he was able to bring down the price of rice from P50 in September 2014 to P37 in May 2015.

Government was also able to save as much as P6 billion due to stringent procurement practices in rice importation.

"Napakatindi ng problema ng pagkain, napakatindi ng problema ng gutom. Hindi tama at ayaw nating manatili ang ganitong gutom. Sa tulong at suporta ng ating mga kababayan, if we are reelected, we will continue to champion the cause of food security and hunger in the country," he said.

A copy of his CV and a comprehensive list of his accomplishments may be downloaded through this link: https://kikopangilinan.com/about/