A Crusader For Regenerative Agriculture, I Note That Only Kiko Pangilinan Is Talking About The Problems Of Filipino Farmers – We Need To Regenerate The Farmers Too!

Filipino farmers know their champions. Watch the Kakampinks rally in Pampanga, which reported 220,000 pink admirers, and see San Simon, Pampanga farmers raising the hands of for-President Leni Robredo, a lawyer; and for-Vice President Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, a practicing farmer and knowledgeable of the ups-and-downs of PH’s #1 industry.

I an agriculturist and a word warrior for village development, whom do you think I will vote for as Vice President?

It was Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan who authored RA 11321, or the “Sagip Saka Act” signed into law on 17 April 2019 by PRRD. Subsequently, ANN said the Department of Agriculture (DA) under Secretary of Agriculture William Dar composed the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the law, the IRR signed 21 Oct 2019 (Author Not Named, 21 Oct 2019, Department of Agriculture, DA.gov.ph).

Mr Dar acknowledged the authors and sponsors of Sagip Saka led by Kiko Pangilinan, and said of it:

Tamang-tama at meron na palang batas. (It’s timely we now have this law.) This builds up the momentum wherein farmers’ associations and cooperatives will embrace the agribusiness way of doing things.”

Mr Dar put (1) focus on farmer grouping and (2) emphasis on agribusiness. Most of our farmers are neither group-focused nor business-minded, and so it is no wonder that even if they produce much, still they lose much in their farming!

I translate “Sagip Saka” as “Saving Farmers.” In the final analysis, it is the farmers who must save themselves – but we have to help them in all ways we can, especially via the DA.

ANN said:

The Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Program under the Sagip Saka Act will assist in the improvement of production and productivity, including agricultural extension services, skills development, and provision of production inputs, equipment, facilities, and infrastructure support.

Mr Dar said:

Let me emphasize that the agribusiness mechanism is a way with which we can further enhance the capacities of the farmers through their associations or cooperatives in transforming themselves towards inclusive agribusiness.

For the DA to be able to assist the farmers fully, I favor the way of multipurpose cooperatives (MPCs), knowing MPCs, having been board member, now ordinary member of the Nagkaisa Multi-Purpose Coop in my hometown of Asingan, Pangasinan.

The Sagip Saka Act provides a way forward in terms of broadening interventions from production to processing and marketing using the value chain system.

Farmers probably have an idea of the value chain system, from seed to spoon, but I know for a fact, being a farmer’s son, that farmers constantly if unwittingly break the system in 3 ways: (1) borrowing from usurers before planting time, (2) selling farm produce during harvest time and submit themselves at the mercy of merchants, and (3) borrowing from usurers again between harvests!

Educational advice: For children to “teach” parents, a lesson or two in usury in agriculture should be taught in high school.

We have to educate farmers’ families for their own good!@517