Senator Kiko Pangilinan is pushing for the passage of three of his proposed measures—Agricultural Cooperatives Act of 2025, the Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act of 2025, and the Congressional Commission on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Security (AGRICOM) Act—in a bid to address pervasive and long-standing challenges in the agriculture and fisheries sector and achieve national food security, rural development, and uplift the lives of farmers and fisherfolk.
True to his campaign promise of “Walang Kulay ang Gutom,” Pangilinan once again met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacañang to discuss priority measures for the agriculture sector and seek the administration’s support for the passage of Senate Bill No. 1183 (the Agricultural Cooperatives Act of 2025), Senate Bill No. 1182 (Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act of 2025), and Senate Bill No. 1624 (the AGRICOM Act).
This was brought about shortly after the “Evening With The Stars” Malacañang Gala attended by the veteran legislator and wife Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan recently.
During the event, the seasoned lawmaker sought to schedule a meeting with Marcos to discuss his proposed measures to reform the agriculture sector.
“Nangako tayo na hahanapan natin ng solusyon ang mga daing na ito kaya tayo narito at hinihiling ang suporta ng Presidente para sa mga panukalang batas natin.”
“Walang araw na hindi tayo nakakarinig o nakakabasa ng reklamo at hinaing tungkol sa gutom, sa taas ng presyo ng mga bilihin. Nangako tayo na hahanapan natin ng solusyon ang mga daing na ito kaya tayo narito at hinihiling ang suporta ng Presidente para sa mga panukalang batas natin,” the senator said.
He explained that the proposed measures would transform agricultural cooperatives into “key partners for national food security and rural development,” renationalize extension services by making government aid easily accessible to farmers and fisherfolk, and identify the challenges in the entire food supply system.
The agricultural cooperatives bill seeks to provide funding to boost the productivity of agricultural cooperatives, encourage clustering and consolidation to achieve economies of scale, promote modern and climate-resilient farming practices and technologies, enhance access to credit, and build the capacity of smallholder farmers.
Renationalizing the Department of Agriculture’s extension services will bring critical services to farmers and fisherfolk by ensuring their access down to the municipal level.
The AGRICOM, on the other hand, will be a three-year intervention to seek concrete and targeted reforms in the agriculture and fisheries sector. The commission aims to streamline agriculture and fisheries-related bureaucracies.
During the meeting with the President, Pangilinan persuaded Marcos to certify the three bills as urgent, highlighting how the empowerment of the agriculture and fisheries sector could address the country’s food crisis.
The senator also invited House Committee on Agriculture and Food Chairperson Mark Enverga and House Committee on Agrarian Reform Chairperson Leah Bulut-Begtang to work hand in hand in swiftly passing these bills in the lower house, so that together they can deliver critical aid to the sector and quickly improve the lives of farmers and fisherfolk.
He also explained how the proposed agricultural cooperatives and extension services measures will complement his 2019 Sagip Saka Act, which allows national government agencies and local government units to buy food directly from farmers and fisherfolk without public bidding.
When Executive Order 101, which directs government agencies to fully implement the Sagip Saka Act, was signed last year, Pangilinan shared that farmers’ and fisherfolk’s organizations immediately reaped the benefits of government agencies and local governments buying their produce directly.
“Mas mapapabilis din ang pagpapaabot ng gobyerno ng tulong sa kanila bilang mga organisasyon kaysa sa indibidwal.”
“Kapag organisado ang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda at kapag sila ay nakakatanggap ng sapat na suporta mula sa gobyerno, maaari na silang pumasok sa mga kontrata kasama ang mga ahensya ng gobyerno tulad ng DepEd, DOH, at DSWD. Mas mapapabilis din ang pagpapaabot ng gobyerno ng tulong sa kanila bilang mga organisasyon kaysa sa indibidwal,” he said.
Absorption of government interventions in the sector, Pangilinan added, is essential to boost local food production.
He pointed out that for 2026, the agriculture and fisheries sector can tap through the Sagip Saka Act the various feeding programs of the government agencies, amounting to more than P37 billion.
Aside from the President, Pangilinan, Enverga, and Bulut-Begtang, the meeting was also attended by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, and Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
