By Eunice Samonte
As the budget department recommends that “ayuda” (aid) during this stricter lockdown be given in kind, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Monday suggested that national government agencies and local government units that will provide assistance buy supplies for food packs from local farmers and fisherfolk at fair market prices.
“‘Yung food packs ang ipapamigay, tulong ito para hindi magutom ang pinaka-apektado (Those who decide to give food packs, these are meant to help the most affected people so they will not go hungry,” said Pangilinan.
“Suggestion ko ituloy yung ginawa noong unang mga lockdown na bumili sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda ang gobyerno. Bumili ng bigas at iba pang pagkain ang DA, DSWD, DILG, at mga LGU sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda sa tamang presyo para rin kumita sila (My suggestion is to continue what was done during the first lockdown when government purchased products from farmers and fisherfolk),” he urged.
Sen. Pangilinan, a former food security secretary, stressed that this system of buying directly from farmers and fisherfolk is embedded in the 2021 General Appropriation Act.
Section 22 of the 2021 GAA reads: “Procurement of Agri-Fishery Products. In order to ensure the availability of food for all sectors and to increase the income of our farmers and fisherfolk, the government, as procuring entity, shall directly purchase available agricultural and fisheries products from local farmers, fisherfolk, or their associations or cooperatives, pursuant to R.A. No. 11321 or the ‘Sagip Saka Act’ and consistent with R.A. No. 11494 or the ‘Bayanihan to Recover as One Act’: Provided, that direct purchase of agri-fishery products shall be compliant with Section 11 of the Sagip Saka Act and existing procurement laws and rules.
To this end, the DA (Department of Agriculture), DSWD (Department of Social Work and Development), DepEd (Department of Education), DOH (Department of Health), DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government), LGUs (Local Government Units), and other relevant government agencies shall implement this as a policy in their feeding programs, relief operations, rice subsidy, and other programs.”
“Gamit ang Sagip Saka formula, panalo ang lahat. Mayrong access ang gobyerno sa pagkain, ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda ay kikita, at ang taumbayang naka-lockdown ay hindi magugutom (Using the Sagip Saka [Save Harvest] formula, everybody wins. Government has access to food, farmers and fisherfolk will get to earn and people under lockdown will not go hungry,” Sen. Pangilinan pointed out.
Pangilinan’s Sagip Saka (Save Harvest) Act, which was signed into law in 2019, seeks higher incomes for farmers and fisherfolk through enterprise development and direct purchases by government agencies, LGUs, and the private sector.
