Vice-presidential aspirant Senator Kiko Pangilinan commended the important role the Mangyan tribe plays in the local agriculture produce of Mindoro.
During his speech at the mini-rally in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro, Pangilinan noted that the Mangyan tribe is behind the high yield of root crops of the province, including gabi (yam) and camote (sweet potato).
“Ang ating mga kapatid na Mangyan na narito ngayon ay nagbibigay ng kanilang suporta sa ating laban kontra gutom,” the veteran legislator said.
“Ang hindi po alam ng marami, ang ating mga kapatid na Mangyan, isa sa mga top contributors sa agriculture sector ng Mindoro dahil sa mga root crops. Pasalamatan natin sila,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
After the mini-rally, the senator held a short dialogue with the Mangyan farmers, where he learned about the problems that continue to beset the community.
One of the pressing issues that the tribe faces is the continuous lowballing of middlemen of their farm produce. According to the farmers, middlemen only pay them P5 per five pieces of saba (banana).
Pangilinan vowed to address this by talking to the local government unit of Pinamalayan and informing them about the existence of the Sagip Saka Act, which gives the green light to local government units and its attached agencies to directly purchase from farmers for a humane price.
“Hindi pwede na binabarat lang kayo.”
“Kakausapin natin si Mayor [Aristeo] Baldos para i-implementa nang maayos ang Sagip Saka Act upang magkaroon kayo ng maayos na kita,” he said. “Hindi pwede na binabarat lang kayo.”
The Mangyan farmers informed Pangilinan that they had to walk for three hours in order for their harvest to reach the middleman.
“Kailangan po namin ngayon magkaroon ng magandang kalsada para mabilis naming maibaba ang aming ani.”
“Mahirap ang aming kalagayan dahil binabarat kami ng mga middleman…Kailangan po namin ngayon magkaroon ng magandang kalsada para mabilis naming maibaba ang aming ani. Sana din magkaroon kami ng pwesto sa palengke para makabenta kami ng sarili naming produkto,” said Junior Manluwag, one of the Mangyan farmers.
Pangilinan’s promise gives the Mangyan farmers some glimmer of hope that their concerns will finally be addressed.
“Sobrang tuwa po namin [na nakausap namin si Senator Kiko]. At sana mangyari talaga iyong sinabi niya kanina [na kakausapin ang local government dito para sa Sagip Saka Act] dahil malaking tulong ito sa amin upang mai-angat namin ang aming pamilya at pamayanan,” Manluwag said.
“Mainam din po na maturuan din kami ng mga panibagong karunungan sa pagtatanim para magamit namin at madagdagan ang aming kaalaman sa pagtatanim,” he added.