MANILA – Sen. Francis Pangilinan on Monday proposed that the national government should buy the food assistance it will provide to those affected by stricter coronavirus disease 2019 protocols from local farmers and fisherfolk at fair market prices.
Pangilinan made the remark after fellow Sen. Bong Go said the Department of Budget and Management recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte the provision of assistance “in kind” to households or individuals affected by the new restrictions.
“Kung food packs ang ipapamigay, tulong ito para hindi magutom ang pinaka-apektado,” Pangilinan, a former food security secretary, said in a statement.
He suggested the government should continue what it did during the first lockdowns, which he said was buying from local farmers and fisherfolk.
“Bumili ng bigas at iba pang pagkain ang DA (Department of Agriculture), DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government), at mga LGU (local government unit) sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda sa tamang presyo para rin kumita sila,” he said.
According to the senator, this system of buying directly from farmers and fisherfolk is provided in Section 22 of the 2021 General Appropriations Act.
The provision states that in ensuring food supplies and increasing the income of farmers and fisherfolk, the government “shall directly purchase available agricultural and fisheries products from local farmers, fisherfolk, or their associations or cooperatives.”
Pangilinan pointed out that the 2021 national budget has more than P41 billion-worth of feeding and rice subsidy programs that can be used for the direct purchase from local farmers and fisherfolk.
“Gamit ang Sagip Saka formula, panalo ang lahat. Merong access ang gobyerno sa pagkain, ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda ay kikita, at ang taumbayang naka-lockdown ay hindi magugutom,” he said.
He then encouraged Filipino farmers and fisherfolk to organize into groups and cooperatives in order to readily respond to bigger demands.(GMA News)
