Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Monday urged the government to heed the local Filipino farmers call and refrain from importing agricultural products if it would hurt them.

Go, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, made the call after the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) proposed to import sugar into the Philippines.

Sugar farmers have raised concerns about the SRA's latest proposal to import sugar as the United Sugar Producers Federation pointed out that the proposal seeks to import 350,000 metric tons of raw and processed sugar into the Philippines.

“I’m appealing to our Executive Department. Department of Agriculture, unahin n’yo po ang kapakanan ng mga farmers (prioritize the welfare of the farmers),” appealed Go during an interview after his personal visit to the fire victims in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

“Kung hindi naman kailangan mag-import, ‘wag muna... unahin muna nating bilihin itong mga produkto ng ating local farmers dahil ang makikinabang po dito yung maliliit. Yung mga isang kahig, isang tuka (If there’s no need to import, then stop. Let’s buy the products of our local farmers first because they will benefit),” he added.

Go reiterated that the government should place a premium on the welfare of small farmers than importers and that importation of agricultural products must be for supply augmentation only in order to achieve food sufficiency.

“Ito namang mga importers po, mayayaman na po ‘yan so unahin natin ang kapakanan ng small farmers. Kung sa tingin n’yo kulang na, saka na kayo mag-import. Yun po ang trabaho ninyo (These importers are already rich so let’s prioritize small farmers. If you think there’s a need, then we can import. That’s your job)— to balance everything,” stressed Go.

“Please lang po, ‘yan ang parati kong stand noon pa. At hindi magbabago yan. Interes po ng bawat maliliit na farmers ang unahin (Please that has been my stand even before. And that won’t change. Let’s prioritize small farmers),” he added.

If there’s a need to call out the Department of Agriculture, Go said he will do so.

“Kung kailangan batikusin ‘yung Department of Agriculture, babatikusin ko po ‘yan (If we need to scold the DA, we will do so),” Go said.

“Patapos na po ang termino ni Pangulong Duterte. ‘Yun naman po parati ang ipinapaalala ni Pangulong Duterte sa inyo (President Duterte’s term is about to end. That is something the President would always remind you),” he pointed out.