Senator Kiko Pangilinan said the expanded funding for Agricultural Food Hubs in the 2026 Department of Agriculture (DA) budget is a critical step toward unlocking Mindanao’s potential as the country’s primary food basket and stabilizing food prices nationwide.
Under the bicameral conference committee report, funding for Agricultural Food Hubs rose from ₱2.125 billion to ₱2.625 billion that would build facilities for aggregation, storage, cold chain, processing, and distribution in major production areas such as Mindanao.
“Marami sa kinakain ng bansa ang galing sa Mindanao. Kapag naging mas makinis at mas mabisa ang sistema ng pagbyahe ng pagkain mula sa mga bukirin patungong mga palengke, makikilala na ang Mindanao bilang food basket ng Pilipinas,” Pangilinan said.
The budget bicam member said poor logistics, high transport costs, and post-harvest losses have long prevented farmers in Mindanao from fully benefiting from their productivity, while consumers elsewhere face higher food prices.
“Priority areas for building these agriculture food hubs for 2026 are Bukidnon, Camarines Sur, Quezon, and Pampanga.
According to the DA, priority areas for building these agriculture food hubs for 2026 are Bukidnon (Region X), Camarines Sur (Region V), Quezon (Region IV-A), and Pampanga (Region III).
The veteran legislator said that strengthening food hubs, alongside farm-to-market roads and ports, would reduce spoilage, cut layers of middlemen, and allow farmers and fisherfolk to earn more while keeping food affordable.
“Kapag nabubulok at tinatapon ang pagkain bago dumating sa merkado, talo tayong lahat.”
“Kapag nabubulok at tinatapon ang pagkain bago dumating sa merkado, talo tayong lahat: magsasaka at mangingisda, mamimili, at ang pambansang ekonomiya,” the seasoned lawmaker said.
The senator said the emphasis on Mindanao aligns with his broader food security agenda, which calls for treating logistics and regional equity as central to hunger reduction.
“Hindi natin masisiguro ang pagkain kung hiwa-hiwalay ang mga food-producing regions. Buong Pilipinas, hindi lang Mindanao, ang makikinabang kung maging food basket ang rehiyon,” he stressed.
However, Pangilinan said, food hubs must be paired with strong governance and transparency to ensure funds are spent on functional facilities, not idle or underutilized infrastructure.
“Andami na nating nakitang mga proyekto na ang galing sa papel at mga Powerpoint presentation pero olats sa totoong buhay. Ang agri food hubs, dapat madeliver ang pagkain, maitaas ang kita, at maibaba ang presyo ng pagkain; kung hindi, ‘di nito nagampanan ang kanyang layunin,” he concluded.
