Press Release
December 10, 2021

Transcript of VP Candidate Kiko Pangilinan's response during the press briefing for #HanapbuhayParaSaLahat plan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMlTOyPsoEE

54:18 - 55:19

Q: I would like to address this question to Kiko. This is about the small farmers. When I'm not blogging, I'm in Benguet and I am in touch with the farmers. I'm glad that you are having the digital economy and all that but digitalization is more than digital solutions for agriculture because the continuing problem with our vegetable farmers is overproduction of vegetables and it all goes to waste, why can't we connect them to the food processors so digitalization of market demand needs to be gathered before production even starts so it can be shared to vegetable growers. And what about the smuggling? A lot of our farmers just leave their vegetables in the plot because they told me the prices are really so low from the smuggled vegetables. I really want to help them bring their produce to the market for a fair price so I want to know what would be the solution to the smuggling although I know that there is a Senate hearing coming.

55:24 - 59:59

KIKO PANGILINAN: Tama iyon, 'no, 'yung problema ng post-harvest facilities particularly sa ating mga magsasaka. Lalo na sa Benguet, Baguio. In fact, ang research ng Benguet State University indicates that by the time the vegetable reaches the table in Manila, 67% of the crop is already lost. 33% na lang ang umaabot. So, and a lot of that has to do with post-harvest. And that's precisely why the policy of Vice President Leni should she become president is number one, to double the budget for the Department of Agriculture precisely to get investments, government investing in agriculture in terms of infrastructure, post-harvest facilities, insurance and the like. So that is the first thing. Kailangan talagang palawigin ang investment sa agriculture.

'Pag nakita ng private sector na ang gobyerno mismo ang tumataya sa sektor ng agrikultura, maeengganyo rin silang tumaya. We must remember that the deepest pockets in any economy is the private sector. 20% lang ang contribution ng gobyerno sa GDP. 80% ay private sector. Kinakailangan ma-inspire ang private sector na mamuhunan sa agriculture and the first signal will be because government itself is going to invest more in agriculture, number one.

Number two doon sa usapin ng jobs, it is more expensive to create jobs for manufacturing and industry, it is less expensive to create jobs sa agriculture, and 30% of our jobs are in the agriculture sector. So when you take that into consideration and more investments of government in the agriculture sector, then yung job creation will follow. Mas madali mag-create ng jobs sa agriculture sector, kaya kapag namuhunan sa agriculture sector, yung job creation mas dadami. So iyan ang ang isang estratehiya. Plus, you mobilize resources around farming organizations, communities so that these resources will bring or will level up our farmers capacity, our fisherfolk capacity dahil kinakailangan ma-secure ang farmers and fisherfolk para ma-secure natin ang ating pagkain.

Doon sa usapin ng smuggling, nung ako ay chairman ng NFA council, rampant before we stepped in 'yung pag-smuggling ng bigas. It's a combination of ensuring tight coordination between the BOC, the DA, the NFA in terms of running after the smugglers and we were able to achieve this.

Sinampahan ng kaso ang mga smugglers, nag-deputize ang NBI, ang PNP, at ang NFA para ma-monitor 'yung mga warehouses nitong mga nagtatago o kaya nagda-divert ng smuggled rice. Dinisiplinahan ang NFA. Meron kaming mga anim o pitong mga local, provincial or regional na NFA employees na sinuspinde at kinasuhan dahil sa pakikipagsabwatan sa mga trader. So importante ang coordination with the BOC. We were able to address this by a combination of law enforcement and transparency sa processes ng NFA in terms of issuance of permits kasi diyan nagkakalokohan sa smuggling eh. Kunwari may permit, peke 'yung permit o kaya rehashed 'yung permit. Pero pag may transparency sa permit issuances in this case the Bureau of either Plant industry or the Bureau of Animal Industry when it comes to importation, magkakaroon ng dagdag na safeguard dito sa smuggling pero kailangang coordinated sa mga ahensya at law enforcement. So kaya. Kaya nating gawin 'yan. It's really just a matter of enforcing the law and ensuring transparency in the processes.

--

1:06:05 - 1:09:06

KIKO PANGILINAN: If I may just add, nung discussions, Ma'am, I recall, nung 16th Congress, wala ako sa Kongreso noon, pero napag-usapan natin at one forum 'yung Brazil experience. Kaya nung 17th Congress, kami ni Congressman Teddy Baguilat, 'yung counterpart sa House, nag-file nung Sagip Saka Law, at naipasa ito nung May 2019. At ang key feature, 'yung big brother na gobyerno na pupuwede nang direktang bumili without going through the cumbersome public bidding sa mga accredited farmers and fisherfolk organizations ng agricultural products for relief operations, para sa supplemental feeding programs, para sa nutrition programs, and other related programs. Halimbawa 'yung pagkain sa preso ng DILG. Syempre kailangan 'yan ng bigas, kailangan 'yan ng karne. Ganyan din ang mga regional hospital. So 'yung Sagip Saka law or Republic Act 11321, has not been fully implemented because of the bureaucracy which we have been trying our best to really pound. And finally nitong October, naipasa na 'yung GPPB resolution on these purchases. And it would free up about 40 billion pesos worth of funds sa DA, sa DepEd, sa DILG, sa DOH, sa DSWD.

Ang DSWD for example, last year 4.6 billion for supplemental hot meals, feeding program. Pero nung tiningnan namin, nung hiningi namin 'yung report, eh halos 60% nung purchases hindi sa farmers, kung hindi sa mga commercial, mga traders. So sinabi pa, ang paliwanag ng DSWD dahil daw sa executive order something noong 1998. So we reminded them, meron nang batas. And for the 2021 and 2022 budget, that frees up around anywhere between 30-40 billion pesos worth of purchases, potential purchases from the national government. I'm sure by July 1, 2022, dapat meron nang mekanismo na lahat nung mga bumibili ng produktong agrikultura, karne, poultry, bigas, gulay, eh kinakailangan ang gobyerno ay direkta nang bumibili sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda. That will increase the income of our farmers and our fisherfoilk. Maeengganyo silang magtanim. Hindi na magtitiwang ang lupa kasi hindi na silang babarating. Napakalaking game-changer, plus, isasabay pa nga yung sinabi ni ma'am na dodoblehin ang budget ng agrikultura, eh talagang tuloy-tuloy na 'yung pagpalawig at modernization ng ating agriculture sector.

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1:09:44 - 1:10:15

KIKO PANGILINAN: Just one more pa. The biggest job loss last year was in agriculture. Half of the losses in jobs because of Covid, and economic downturn was in agriculture. 1.7 million ang nawalan ng trabaho. Kaya we're four-squared behind itong more investments in agriculture, more spending for agriculture, more direct purchases sa agriculture sector ang magke-create ng jobs para ma-address nga 'yung pinakamalaking job loss last year.

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