With two “Kikos”–Senator Kiko Pangilinan and Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel Jr.–heading the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform and the Department of Agriculture (DA), respectively, the country’s agricultural sector can now move toward its goal of empowering farmers and ensuring food security.
Pangilinan personally visited the DA office recently to meet with Tiu Laurel to better understand the state of the country’s agriculture sector, the current government interventions, and the resources it needs.
“Hindi lang kami kaparehas ng pangalan, kaparehas din ang aming gustong iprioritize.”
“Well, aligned yung aming mga gustong mangyari sa sektor ng agrikultura, kami ni Sec. Kiko. So, hindi lang kami kaparehas ng pangalan, kaparehas din ang aming gustong iprioritize,” the veteran legislator said, adding that their priorities will be amending the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) and providing direct extension services to farmers at the grassroots and municipal levels.
They also discussed intervention programs and projects to bring down the prices of rice and other food items, as well as strengthening farmers’ cooperatives and establishing trading centers for local farmers and fisherfolk.
“We are aligned and alam namin pareho na time is running out. We really have to work agad-agad para ma-address itong mga serious problems ng agriculture,” the seasoned lawmaker told reporters in a chance interview after the meeting.
The senator also shared that both he and Tiu-Laurel want amendments to the RTL to be passed before the harvest season next year, so they hope the President will certify it as urgent.
But as chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, he plans to begin the committee hearings on a range of agricultural issues in the next two months.
Pangilinan has earlier filed Senate Resolutions to investigate, among others, the possible amendments to the RTL, the full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act, the high prices of food, and the impact of allowing commercial fishing within the municipal waters on small-scale fishers.
He likewise expressed his full support for a bigger budget for the DA, noting that the agency has “to be able to do its job” with proper resources.
“Nagkakaintindihan din kami na kailangan mabantayan itong paggagasta nitong kaban ng bayan at ng pondo at para matiyak na direktang benepisyo at hindi kung saan-saan napupunta.”
“Nagkakaintindihan din kami na kailangan mabantayan itong paggagasta nitong kaban ng bayan at ng pondo at para matiyak na direktang benepisyo at hindi kung saan-saan napupunta,” Pangilinan said.
Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel was grateful to the senator for personally reaching out to the DA, adding that they are “aligned na aligned” in modernizing the agricultural sector.
“Umaasa kami sa tuloy-tuloy na suporta ng ating kagalang-galang na senador. Maganda ang kinabukasan natin dahil andito na siya,” the agriculture chief concluded.
