Citing his work as the country’s former food security secretary who lowered the rice inflation to less than one percent, senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan promised to do the same again if elected to the Senate.
Senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan raises hands with Dumaguete City Mayor Ipe Remollo and Mamamayang Liberal Partylist nominees Leila de Lima, Erin Tañada, and Teddy Baguilat during a campaign rally in Dumaguete City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (Photo from Team Kiko Pangilinan)
During a press conference in Dumaguete City on Saturday, March 22, Pangilinan said he has already done it and can do it again if he gets another term in the coming May 2025 midterm polls.
His success as the Aquino administration’s presidential assistant for food security and agricultural modernization was one of the reasons he decided to run for the upper chamber again.
“At yan ang isa sa pangunahing dahilan kung (bakit) ako ay muling tumakbo dahil nagawa na natin ng paraan para maibaba, ma-manage ang kabuuang inflation sa buong bansa dahil sa pag-manage natin ng rice supply (And that’s one of the main reasons why I am running again because we found a way to manage the overall inflation in the country because of how we managed the rice supply),” he said in his opening remarks.
“Kung nagawa natin noon, kayang gawin ngayon (If we did it before, we can do it now),” Pangilinan added.
He recalled how he was able to bring down rice inflation—from 15 percent to less than one percent—during his tenure as food security czar: he went after rice hoarders, middlemen, and blacklisted traders.
By cancelling the business permits of rice hoarders, the former senator said they were forced to release their rice supply. This, combined with the National Food Authority’s (NFA) rice supply, brought down rice inflation and achieved “the lowest inflation” in the whole Philippines in 20 years.
“Kaya madaming nabibili ang P1,000 at P500 noon (That’s why P1,000 and P500 can buy a lot before),” the former senator stressed, lamenting that Filipinos could hardly get by with P1,000 today.
Pangilinan shared that he also rejected overpriced imported rice from Thailand and Vietnam that led to P7 billion worth of government savings in rice purchases.
“Nakatipid tayo dahil walang korapsyon (We were able to save because there was no corruption),” the former official added.
He underscored the importance of bringing down rice inflation because rice, as the “biggest product in our food basket” with some 117 million Filipinos eating it, dictates the prices of other goods such as sugar, coffee, onions, cooking oil, and tomatoes, among others.
“In one year, we were able to manage the rice supply inflation. Ask any economist, kapag napababa mo ang rice supply issue at napababa mo ang presyo ng bigas, susunod na rin ang ibang presyong pagkain at bilihin (when you are able to reduce the rice supply issue and reduce the prices of rice, the prices of other food items will also go down),” he explained.
Call for fair play
Meanwhile, the Pangilinan camp also expressed concern over reports that his campaign materials, such as tarpaulins, are being deliberately removed and destroyed by unknown individuals in multiple areas.
The former senator called on supporters and opponents alike to keep the campaign fair and respectful.
"Naiintindihan natin na mainit ang kampanya, pero sana manatili tayong patas at may respeto. Hindi natin kailangang sirain ang materyales ng iba para ipakita ang suporta sa kandidato natin (We understand that the campaign is challenging, but let’s be fare and respectful. We don’t need to destroy the materials of others to show our support for our candidates)," Pangilinan said.
With limited and a lean budget, the former senator shared that his campaign is heavily reliant on volunteers and supporters.
"Limitado ang aming pondo, kaya bawat tarpaulin at campaign material ay pinapahalagahan. Ang masakit, sa halip na gamitin ang resources na ito para ipalaganap ang ating adbokasiya, nasasayang lang dahil sa paninira (Our funds are limited, so every tarpaulin and campaign material is important. What’s sad is instead of using these resources to push for our advocacies, it goes to waste because of vandalism)," he lamented.