Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said the government should encourage local farmers to harvest their crops early and directly purchase their goods at fair prices for use in relief operations in evacuation centers.

Pangilinan, author of the Sagip Saka Act, made the call urging the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and local government units (LGUs) to do as such in accordance with the said law.

The senator recalled a time during a previous typhoon where farmers were forced to harvest their crops early to avoid losing them entirely. But the challenge then was where to sell their produce.

To address this, the senator said he coordinated with the Quezon City Government during the typhoon which operated 12 to 14 hot meals kitchens serving evacuees in various centers.

Both the farmers and LGUs benefitted from this initiative.

“What happened then, the LGU brought the vegetables during the early harvest: pumpkins, okra, beans, tomatoes—and these were distributed in the evacuation centers during relief operations,” Pangilinan said.

“The farmers won because their produce were bought at the right price, they made an early harvest. The local government also won because they won fresh produce which became food: hot meals—for those in the evacuation centers,” he added.

With the recently signed twin Executive Orders—the Floor Price on Palay and the Sagip Saka Act Implementation—Pangilinan said these will help ensure that farmers are protected from losses and continue to earn fair income when properly implemented.

Moreover, he also urged national government agencies and LGUs to continue supporting local farmers, especially during these challenging times, reminding everyone that crises can also open opportunities for meaningful action.

“Ang panawagan natin sa mga LGU ngayon ay makipag-usap, baka pwedeng mag-umpisa ng early harvest ang mga farmer ng kanilang mga produkto at bilhin na ng mga LGU dahil magagamit din naman kaagad para sa mga evacuation centers kung sakaling merong mga evacuees (Our appeal to our LGU is to engage, with farmers, maybe encourage them to do early harvest of their products and buy them so they can use these immediate for those in evacuation centers in case there are now evacuees there),” he said.