Senator Kiko Pangilinan led the public hearing for his proposed measures to revive the Bureau of Agriculture Cooperatives and to renationalize agricultural extension services to modernize the country’s agriculture sector, provide ample government support to farmers and fisherfolk, increase their productivity, and achieve food self-sufficiency.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, Pangilinan led discussions on his own proposed bills—-Senate Bill No. 1182, or the Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act of 2025, and SB No. 1183, or the Agricultural Cooperatives Act of 2025–as well as Senator Risa Hontiveros’ SB No. 389, during a committee hearing recently.
“Structural reforms ang kinakailangan natin para mapalakas ang hanay ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda.”
“Structural reforms ang kinakailangan natin para mapalakas ang hanay ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda,” the veteran legislator said. “Unless we organize our farmers and fisherfolk, we will never modernize our agriculture. That’s how important these twin measures are.”
In his opening speech, the seasoned lawmaker recalled organizing a training for farmers for organic vegetable farming in 2012 when he was managing and running his farm in Alfonso, Cavite.
The over 40 vegetable and fruit farmers, however, were unable to organize themselves into a cooperative “because of the lack of support from the government”.
And while the senator commended the support the farmers received from the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Department of Agriculture-Region IV-A (DA-Region IV-A), and the local government units, he lamented the “gaps” that hinder the strengthening of farmers’ associations and organizations on the ground.
“Hanggat walang ‘boots on the ground’ ang DA, hindi mapapalakas ng husto ang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda.”
“Which is why I therefore concluded after two farm field school experiences in a 10-year or 12-year period na hanggat walang ‘boots on the ground’ ang DA, hindi mapapalakas ng husto ang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda,” Pangilinan said.
“At mananatiling kapos, mananatiling hindi productive, bagsak ang yields, kapos ang kita, ibebenta na lang ang lupa dahil kahit anong intervention natin sa taas, kung hindi organisado sa baba, para lang tayong puro ‘drawing’,” he added.
During the hearing, Pangilinan heard recommendations, comments, manifestations, expressions of support, proposals, and concerns from representatives of different government agencies and non-government organizations, such as the DA and its bureaus, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Commission on Audit (COA), Samahan ng Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines, Inc. (CAMP, Inc.), and League of Municipal and City Agriculturist of the Philippines (LeMMCAP), among others.
