Aspiring vice president Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Sunday, Feb. 6, that he will use his campaign for the May elections as an opportunity to open the conversation on food security and the situation of local farmers and fishermen in the country.
Pangilinan said his campaign dubbed "Byahe ni Kiko," which was launch Sunday in Quezon City, will not be a mere campaign trip but a trip that will open the conversation and consciousness of the public on the agenda of food security and agriculture.
"Ang 'Byahe ni Kiko' ay pagkakataon na madebate, mapag-usapan, maisulong yung ating pinaniniwalaang isang kritikal, napakatinding problema ng bansa natin--ito ang mataas na presyo ng pagkain na nauuwi sa gutom, nauuwi sa malnutrition ('Byahe ni Kiko' is an opportunity for debate, conversation, and to push for what we believe as critical problem of the country--the high prices of food that result to hunger and malnutrition)," Pangilinan said.
The Senator said that one out of four Filipinos, or about 25 million individuals are suffering from hunger and cited data from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), that 95 children die every day due to malnutrition.
He stressed that it's high time the state of agriculture in the country is publicly discussed as the sector faces not just production and sale issues but also the decline on number of farmers in the country.
Pangilinan also said neglect of the agriculture sector has left the Philippines behind by its neighbors in terms of farm produce and development of the industry. He lamented that despite of having rich seas and land, we resort to importation, which is riddled by corruption.
"We are hoping that the national debate will address the issue of food security dahil iilan na lamang sa ating susunod na henerasyo ng ating mga kababayan ang gustong magtanim at hindi natin sila masisisi (because only a few from the next generation want to farm and we can't blame them). Yung bagong henerasyon ng mga (The new geneartion of) farmers, endangered species na nga ika nga ng ating mga magsasaka, paubos na (according to our farmers, they are dwindling) and this we have to correct because in the end paano tayo magiging matibay na bansa kung hindi natin matutugunan ang gutom ng napakarami nating kababayan (how can we be a strong country if we cannot address hunger among our fellowmen)," he said.
"We have this golden opportunity to bring this agenda front and center and bring to the consciousness ng ating mga kababayan na ayusin ito, hindi tama ito. Ang yun ang esenya ng 'Byahe ni Kiko' (of our fellowmen that this must be fixed, this is not right. And that is the essence of 'Byahe ni Kiko')," he added.
The aspiring vice president, if elected, will push for the doubling of the agriculture budget to ensure that necessary projects for famers and fishers are implemented.
He committed to act on the full implementation of RA 11321 or the Sagip Saka Act to free up government spending on agricultural goods by P30 to P40 billion.
Pangilinan further said that a significant portion of the additional budget must be allocated for climate crisis resiliency, additional support, infrastructure, and technology for the farmers and fishermen.
Pangilinan is the running mate of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo.