It started with a Facebook post.

Waya Araos-Wijangco, executive chef of Gypsy Baguio by Chef Waya and founding board member of Farm Forward Initiatives (FFI), an organization that has been working with farmers in cooperation with World Food Expo (WOFEX) Foundation since 2022, had, along with partner farmers, been invited to speak before the Senate Committee on Agriculture. The farmers had prepared a statement airing their concerns, gathered from different communities, and had rearranged their schedules around this important event.

But because of current events in the Senate, the meeting was cancelled. Dismayed, Araos-Wijangco aired her thoughts on social media.

“Our farmers came prepared with lived experience, practical solutions, and dignity. The Senate responded with cancellation notices and political theater,” she wrote.

Her post went viral, with commenters echoing her sentiment. Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, whose office had initially extended the invitation, personally responded to the post, apologizing for the cancellation, saying he still wanted to meet.

“We were able to give the statement that we were supposed to deliver,” Araos-Wijangco said. The statement was read by Sherly Biase and Jera Palayen, members of Greens for Good (GFG), a cooperative organized with the help of FFI. “[GGF] is the proof of concept that we want you to see, that if you organize a group of farmers and they have a right environment to grow, they will thrive. “[GFG] now supplies institutional buyers… and has a retail market… so this is proof that given the right environment, farmers can, and will thrive. They have the creativity and the capability to do it. They just need a level playing field.”

Among the items discussed was how the Sagip Saka Law, which aims to support farmers, may, through imperfect implementation, be accidentally widening the gap instead. “The way it's written, Sagip Saka can create a whole new level of trading,” Araos-Wijangco said. “The Sagip Saka Law mandates that government institutions should buy direct from farmers. But the thing is, the mechanism for farmers to be paid directly doesn’t exist at all levels among all farmers.”

She cites a few examples: if a government institution were to buy directly from a farmer, that farmer should be able to issue receipts and should be able to weather potentially delayed payments. “Who can withstand those things? A trader.”

Not even co-ops are spared. “Sometimes the co-op transforms into a trading company because the requirements are so big. Farmer-members aren’t able to meet the demand, so they end up outsourcing. And the fastest and easiest way is to get vegetables from the trading post,” she said in Taglish.

Araos-Wijangco stressed that the Law is beneficial, but on-ground implementation must be studied and refined to ensure that farmers themselves truly benefit from it, something that cannot be addressed in one meeting. “We look forward to working more closely with them to making sure that real benefits will be achieved through more dialogue, through better implementation of the law.”

Another topic discussed was the need for farmer support at the provincial level. “Because the DA’s (Department of Agriculture) functions have become regional, farmers aren’t receiving the support they need on a municipal level, like, for example, in pest management or education on Good Agricultural Practices,” Araos-Wijangco said. “Farming communities are far apart, so they need levels of support that will get to the community level.”

As the Philippines slides deeper into food insecurity, much of its populace remain ignorant of the difficulties farmers face everyday. “The oil crisis made it more apparent, but this is something that they’ve been going through for decades.”

There is a tendency to erroneously think that farmers don’t know what they’re doing, when in reality, they’re forced to work within a system heavily stacked against them. “They said in their statement, ‘hindi tanga ang mga farmers (farmers aren’t stupid),’ those words exactly,” Araos-Wijangco said. “We want to end the kawawang (pitiful) farmer narrative because they don’t want it, either. They’re telling us that they’re not dumb; they know exactly what they need and how to go about it, but they need to be met by government.”

While the meeting with Senator Pangilinan went well, the future remains uncertain. “We’re worried because while we had a good conversation with [the Senator], he’s no longer the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture. Are we going to start again and build another relationship with whoever is going to be the [next chair]?” Araos-Wijangco said. “It’s frustrating that it took a viral post to get us that. It shouldn’t have to be that way. Do we have to do it all over again?”

With events still unfolding in our national government, it seems that farmers’ issues will be put in the backburner yet again. What’s the regualr Filipino to do?

“Vote with your peso. Support initiatives that help farmers. Support restaurants that help farmers. Eat more vegetables,” Araos-Wijangco said.

“And vote with your vote. I tell even farmers, ‘use your vote properly because you need government to give you better irrigation, better roads, better logistics. Good governance is the backbone to all that.”