Press Release
November 9, 2021

Speech of Sen. Francis Pangilinan
Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc (PCAFI)

Halalan 2022 Para sa Agrikultura Online Forum Series 1

Thank you! Maraming salamat to Doy. Long time no see Doy, our executive director. Very familiar faces considering that I have been involved with the agriculture sector for over a decade now.

Mr. Ernie Ordoñez our director; Mr. President, Danny Fausto; our chairman of PCAFI, Philip Ong; Steven Cua of the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association; members and affiliates of PCAFI, magandang umaga sa kanilang lahat! Maraming salamat sa pagkakataon na ito.

Yesterday, inilatag ni Vice President Leni Robredo ang planong Kalayaan sa Covid ng TROPA o ng Team Robredo-Pangilinan. Ngayon, gusto ko i-share sa inyo ang aming plano para sa Kalayaan sa Gutom. Just to clarify this is not the program of government of Vice President Leni and the TROPA tandem. This is the Covid response plan, specific to Covid, of the Vice President.

The broader platform that will include more detailed action steps on agriculture is still in the process of being put together. There have been consultation meetings with sectors since the announcement of VP Leni was made first week of October.

One of those whom Vice President Leni met would be the group of Ernie and the Federation of Free Farmers, among others. So the consultations are ongoing and the final program of government will be ready to be presented in a couple of weeks.

Iyong Kalayaan sa Gutom is really: how do we address hunger that has been exacerbated because of Covid. The plan aims to address the challenges of hunger that we are facing because of the joblessness and lockdowns. And it is focused on how we may be able to secure immediately our farmers and fisherfolk, and their produce. And of course ang pamilya nila na karaniwang isang kahig isang tuka.

Dahil pag bumuti ang buhay nila, magkakaroon ng sapat na pagkain ang pamilyang Pilipino at mapapawi na rin ang gutom. If we are to secure our food, we must secure our farmers and our fisherfolk. Pag sila ay nabigyan ng tamang suporta, gaganda ang ating ani. Pag gumanda ang ating ani, dadami ang suplay ng pagkain. Pag dumami ang suplay ng pagkain, bababa ang presyo ng mga bilihin at hindi na magugutom dahil abot-kaya na ang pagkain ng bawat mamamayan.

For this to happen:

FIRST, doblehin, in a span of six years -- this is initially one of our proposals, we will double the Department of Agriculture budget within a period of six years. From about 2% to about 3+ to 4% by the end of 2028.

During the last nine years before Covid, our agriculture's yearly share of the national budget was less than 2%. Mas mababa ang proposed 2022 budget na 1.8% lang. Although kung isasama ang budgetary support para sa NIA, which is under the Office of the President currently, ito'y tataas nang hanggang 2.4%.

Ngunit kulang pa rin ito kumpara sa Thailand na 4% ng total budget. At sa Vietnam na halos 6% ang budget para sa agrikultura.

Itaas ng itaas ang agriculture budget hanggang tunay na umunlad ang sektor at magkaroon ng food security ang ating bansa. Yung hindi na nangangambang magugutom pa ang taumbayan. Dapat hindi sila nagiging headline sa balita, o hindi nagiging headline ang champion tayo sa rice importation, o pinakamalawak na importasyon ng baboy o gulay o kaya galunggong o isda.

Panahon na para ayusin iyong insecurity ng ating mga kababayan sa usapin ng pagkain.

PANGALAWA, itali ang tagumpay ng sektor sa pagpawi ng gutom. Gawing key result area o key performance indicator ang lowering of the incidence of hunger. "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it", sabi ni Peter Drucker.

Bago ang pandemya, sa taong 2017 hanggang 2019 sa buong Southeast Asia, ang Pilipinas ang pinakamaraming food insecure. Tinatayang about 59 million Filipinos ang halos wala o walang-walang makain. That is more than half the population.

Pinalala ng mga lockdowns ito, at ang sabi ng SWS, a record 7.6 million Filipino households went hungry in 2020.

Karamihan ng mga nagugutom ay nasa kanayunan. Dito rin pinakamataas ang incidence ng poverty. Among basic sectors, farmers and fisherfolk have consistently posted the highest poverty incidence. In 2018, farmers registered poverty incidences of up to 31% and fisherfolk up to 26%. This is an injustice. My daughter Frankie, when she was nine years old and I was in my first year as Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Food in the Senate. Sabi ni Frankie, "We should treat our farmers like our parents. Because they're the ones who feed us." And yet the irony is, the sector that feeds us is also the sector that has the highest level of hunger and poverty.

IKATATLO, itayo initially, ang Office of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (OFAR) sa ilalim ng Office of the President. Tanggalin ito mula sa DA. Ilagay sa ilalim ng Office of the President immediately. This does not require a law. And appoint a Cabinet-level Secretary to take charge of the fisheries and aquatic resources as a prelude or a precursor to the establishment of a Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Alam natin four-fifths of our territory is karagatan. One-fifth lamang ang lupa. Subalit yung budgetary appropriations, dysfunctional. Pinakamalaki ang budget para sa lupa habang napapabayaan ang ating fisheries and aquatic resources.

It must be underscored and emphasized that fish is the cheapest source of protein of our citizens. And protein is necessary for brain development. This will address malnutrition of our children. But it has to be addressed squarely.

Ito ay para rin magkaroon ng Cabinet-level attention, and of course presidential attention, sa ating karagatan.

In addition, iyong pagprotekta ng ating mga mangingisda diyan sa West Philippine Sea. Kinakailangan matatag ang ating pakikipag-usap sa China at iba pang kapit-bansa sa ASEAN para magkaroon ng maayos na kalakaran sa loob at labas ng teritoryo natin under the UNCLOS' Law of the Seas Exclusive Economic Zone. Basta ang malinaw: Atin ang Pilpinas. Atin ang West Philippine Sea.

The Office of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources under the Office of the President ang magbibigay-buhay sa ambisyon nating maging aquaculture giant of the world.

IKA-APAT, ipatupad nang buo at mabilis ang batas nating Sagip Saka para paikliin ang food supply chain.

Under the 2021 budget for example, the combined budgets of the DepEd, DWSD, DILG, DOH -- hindi pa kasama ang LGUs, for food-related or agriculture: feeding programs, calamity relief operations, ay kulang-kulang 41 billion [pesos].

Ang Department of Social Welfare and Development, mayroong 4.6 billion pesos for hot meals annually na dapat direkta nang binibili sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda ang kanilang mga produkto para diretsa rin quality produce para sa ating mga nangangailangan nitong hot meals and feeding programs ng DSWD.

Ang DOH, maraming provincial hospitals, bumibili rin ng pagkain. Ang DILG, maraming provincial jails, bumibili rin ng produktong agrikultura. And symrepre ang LGUs, marami ring binibiling relief packs tuwing mayroong sakuna. Dapat lahat yan direkta sa farmers and fisherfolk na binibili and Sagip Saka has allowed that. Wala nang public bidding, negotiated contracts ang purchases ng LGUs at NGAs.

And again, for the 2022 budget, we will provide. In the 2021 budget, Section 22 of the General Provisions of the GAA provide for direct purchases by DepEd, DILG, DSWD, DOH and LGUs to farmers and fisherfolk organizations.

Before the pandemic, food giants such as Jollibee and Nestlé participated in a successful experiment that got them to be "big brother" to onion and coffee farmers, respectively. Kasama ang ating office at iba pang kumpanya, na ginawa ito para makatulong sa usapin ng cold-storage, transport at logistics, dagdag na kaalaman sa bookkeeping and the like. Dahil sa suporta at siguradong market ng kanilang ani, gumanda ang ani at kita ng mga magsasaka.

I remember the Kalasag Farmers Cooperative ng San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. Sa 2008, sixty tons lamang ang kanilang ani ng sibuyas. Pero pagdating ng 2015, five hundred tons na ang kanilang ani dahil nga rito sa suporta na binibigay sa kanila.

Noong nakaraang taon ng pandemya, may halos 3 billion pesos ang direktang binili ng mga LGU sa mga samahan at kooperatiba ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda.

Ang Camarines Sur Multipurpose Cooperative, na may miyembro ng around 2,300 farmers ay, sa gitna ng pandemya, nakabenta sa labingtatlong LGUs sa Camarines Sur ng bigas. Noong 2019, ang benta ng CamSur Multipurpose Cooperative ng produktong agrikultura ay 7 million [pesos]. Subalit, noong 2020, dahil labing tatlong LGUs ang bumili sa kanila direkta, 62 million [pesos] ang benta at hindi pa natatapos ang taong 2020 noon. October pa lang, 62 million [pesos] na ang benta ng kooperatiba dahil direkta at hindi na nagkaroon ng public bidding ang pagbili noong labingtatlong LGU.

As I said earlier, ngayong taon ng pandemya, about 41 billion pesos ang budget ng national agencies DepEd, DSWD, DILG upang bilhin direkta sa magsasaka at mangingisda ang kanilang mga produktong agrikultura. Just to give you a sense of what 41 billion [pesos] is in the universe of our efforts in terms of purchasing from our farmers and fisherfolk, iyong budget ng NFA para bumili ng palay ay 7 billion [pesos]. Of course we all know the universe of palay production is over 300 billion pesos annually. Kaya katiting lang yung 7 billion na binibili at meron pang ceiling ang presyo ng palay. Dito, sa 41 billion [pesos], kung bibili sila ng palay at gigilingin nila o kaya ay bibilhin ng bigas at merong coordination para makagiling ang ating mga farmers bigyan ng suporta ng LGU, ay malaking halaga ito na direktang pupunta sa ating farmers at hindi ceiling price. Mayroong negotiated price. Dahil kung tutuusin, ang isang halimbawa, iyong Arayat, Pampanga, Barangay San Juan, sa gitna ng pandemya, bumili ng palay direkta sa mga magsasaka, dinagdagan ng dalawang piso kada kilo. Sa halip na 17 ay binili ng 19 pesos so nakadagdag ng dalawang piso dahil nga negotiated at dahil dito naging 38 pesos o 37 pesos ang paggiling ng bigas. Sa halip na binili ng barangay sa palengke ng 44 or 45, nakatipid sya ng mga pitong piso kada isang kilo at dahil dito nakabigay pa, nakabili ng dagdag na tatlong kilo kada pamilya sa usapin ng lockdown dahil sa Sagip Saka Law.

IKA-LIMA, we have to revisit the Rice Tariffication Law at tingnan natin paano pa ito maamyendahan para ang pagkolekta ng taripa ay talagang i-didirekta sa ating mga magsasaka. We in fact pushed for the amendment of the Rice Tariffication Law and it is now pending before the Office of the President for signature. And one amendment is that instead of waiting for excess amounts collected, instead of it simply going to mechanization, hybrid seedlings etc, direct cash assistance ngayon ang makukuha until 2025 ng ating mga rice farmers because yan ang kailangan nila habang nakikipag-kumpitensya nga dito sa ating mga imported rice. At, sabay diyan, dahil nga March pinasa ang Rice Tariffication Law, April naman naipasa ang Sagip Saka Law. Hindi lamang NFA ang pwedeng bumili ng palay sa ating mga rice farmers. Pati ngayon ang lahat ng LGU, lahat ng mga ahensya ng pamahalaan na mayroon mga feeding programs. So this will create more markets for our rice farmers because of the impact of the rice tariffication measure at nakikipagkumpitensya sila sa imported na bigas, may assured market sila. Big Brother ngayon ang ating mga LGUs at national government agencies.

IKA-ANIM, mas malawak na agriculture support services, credit o pautang.

- Sa food processing. Halimbawa, hindi na matatapon ang mga kamatis ng Cordillera kung meron nang malapit na pagawaan ng catsup ika nga. O kaya mas mabilis na maidala ang ating mga kamatis sa isang processing plant naman sa Zamboanga kung saan iyong mga sardinas doon iniimport pa -- iyong 500 million tins or cans of sardines are produced annually and lahat noong tomato sauce ay imported.

- Sa production, marketing, shipping, at transportation of products.

- At sa credit, dapat talagang may access sa credit. Dagdagan ang budget para sa access sa credit ng ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda na nakapaloob na nga doon sa agenda na maincrease o madoble ang DA budget within a period of six years.

IKA-PITO, agad na ayuda sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda sa panahon ng kalamidad. Ito naman ang crop insurance. Palakasin din ang ating climate crisis response kaya talagang kinakailangang dagdagan ang budget ng DA.

Palawigin ang social security system para sa mga matatandang farmer at fisherfolk, at, as I said earlier, insurance program para sa dagdag na proteksyon.

IKA-WALO, isabatas ng Pambansang Paggamit ng Lupa or the National Land Use Act. Tayo ang principal author nyan nitong nakaraang Kongreso. We filed the Senate bill, but then hindi ito narereport out pa ng komite.

IKA-SIYAM, mura at ligtas na farm inputs tulad ng mga pataba at abono, at malawakang paggamit ng mga alternative green sources of energy para sa ating mga sakahan.

And IKA-SAMPU, walang korapsyon, walang importation na hindi kinakailangan, at syempre walang smuggling.

Walang budget sa troll farms kundi taniman ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda ang dapat bigyan ng budget.

Hindi tulad sa mga nangyayari ngayon sa Pharmally, hindi napupunta sa bulsa ng mga mandarambong ang pera ng bayan, lalo na ang pondong nakalaan sa nagpapakain sa bayan.

And we were able to do this when we were Chairman of the National Food Authority in 2014 until 2015: A transparent process of importation allowed us to reject bids from Thailand and Vietnam as being above the budget of the NFA and we negotiated lower amounts. And we saved, in a period of one year, 6 billion pesos. So kayang gawin iyong mga reporma at maayos itong ilang mga programa ng pag-iimport, iyong programa kontra-smuggling among others.

The Robredo-Pangilinan or TROPA tandem, you can be assured that stakeholders will always be part of the decision-making process in terms of policy formulation. That has been said not just in words but in deeds. The Vice President has been actively involved in ensuring that the stakeholders are involved, the private sector is involved in crafting solutions and implementing solutions to the problems facing the nation.

In the last one year and seven months, when Covid hit us, if you look at all the interventions that the Office of the Vice President has undertaken to solve various challenges of Covid, the private sector has always been part of the process of formulating and implementing these programs.

It would be the same, should she be given the opportunity to lead us. She precisely chose us because she saw in us part of the solution of addressing hunger exacerbated by Covid is to provide our expertise and our experience as Food Security Secretary and as Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and as a farmer of over a decade now.

Every crisis is an opportunity. But what makes a crisis an opportunity of course is the right attitude and the right action. Or by VP Leni's hardworking example, sabi nga, love is a verb, love is an action word.

I'm ready to answer a number of your questions. Maraming salamat, I'm very happy to be here among familiar faces. Let's work together so that we can bring, finally, the agriculture modernization that we have all aspired for in this group and have yet to achieve.

News Latest News Feed