A year ago, then-senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan was at the tail end of his nationwide campaign for the 2025 midterm elections, bringing with him not only the promise of hope and good governance but also of food security, rural development, and the uplift of the lives of farmers and fisherfolk.
Now, after his surprising 5th-place win during the May 12, 2025 elections, Pangilinan led the first-ever Sagip Saka Day at the M.I.C.E. Center in Quezon City to mark the seventh-year anniversary of his landmark Sagip Saka Act and to celebrate the immeasurable contributions of farmers and fisherfolk in attaining national food security.
From “Hello Pagkain, Goodbye Gutom” in the 2022 vice-presidential race to “Walang Kulay ang Gutom” in the 2025 midterm polls, the now-four-term senator remains faithful to his promise of reforming and modernizing the agriculture and fisheries sector and putting farmers and fisherfolk at front and center of these policy and legislative changes.
But the veteran legislator knows too well that more work needs to be done in the coming years.
“Ngayon, pitong taon matapos maging batas, marami-rami na rin ang umaani sa batas na itinanim natin noong 2019. Subalit, ika nga may kasabihan: marami pa tayong bigas na kakainin,” the seasoned lawmaker said in his inspirational speech during the event. “Marami pang kinakailangang gawin.”
“This promise to uplift the agriculture and fisheries sectors…is the reason for his decision to seek a Senate seat once more.”
He shared that this promise to uplift the agriculture and fisheries sectors—thereby improving the lives of farmers and fisherfolk and bringing down the prices of food and other basic commodities—is the reason for his decision to seek a Senate seat once more.
And Pangilinan did not let one day pass without moving the needle forward.
Anchoring his agriculture and fisheries reform agenda to the Sagip Saka Act, he immediately went to work to push for a Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) resolution to clarify ambiguities in the law’s implementation and for Executive Order Nos. 100 and 101 for the mandatory floor price for palay (unmilled rice) to protect farmers from low farmgate prices and to ensure the full implementation of the Sagip Saka law.
Sagip Saka Act is a law he authored and helped pass in 2019 to allow national and local governments to buy food directly from farmers and fisherfolk without public bidding.
“Kahit saan ako pumunta, nasa kotse ko ito, dinadala ko (Referring to Sagip Saka Law). Pag may nakilala ako kung sino man ‘yan, manililimos tayo ng mga tutulong at susuporta sa mga pamahalaang lokal, pamahalaang pambansa para matiyak ang full implementation nito,” he said.
Pangilinan is likewise pushing for the passage of the renationalization of agricultural extension services to provide farmers and fishers with crucial assistance in the form of cash aid, credit programs, and technical and training workshops.
He also wants to reestablish the Bureau of Agriculture Cooperatives to strengthen existing farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives and encourage non-members to join these associations to achieve economies of scale and expanded market access.
“Mayroong potential food crisis na haharapin ang ating bansa.”
“Mayroong potential food crisis na haharapin ang ating bansa. Pero ‘pag handa tayo, nagtutulungan tayo, ang gobyerno aktibong nakikialam at nag-iintervene, kaya natin lagpasan,” Pangilinan said.
“Alam kong maraming masakit na problema ang pagtaas ng krudo. Masakit ang problema ng mataas na presyo ng pataba. Kaya hanapan natin ng solusyon,” he concluded.
