MANILA – Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is calling on Malacañang to issue an executive order (EO) directing national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to buy food directly from farmers and fisherfolk under the Sagip Saka Act.

Speaking during the Senate Committee on Finance’s budget deliberation for the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Pangilinan said an EO would fast-track the full implementation of the 2019 law, which he authored, to empower farmers and fisherfolk, boost rural development, and promote food security.

“In fact, I was suggesting an executive order by Malacañang to include the floor price for palay if the government chooses to purchase palay from the farmers for their own calamity relief, rice distribution (programs),” he said.

Pangilinan cited successful examples of direct government procurement, including the Camarines Sur Multipurpose Cooperative, where sales jumped from P7 million in 2019 to P62 million in 2020 after LGUs bought rice directly during the pandemic. He also pointed to Sorsogon, where local purchases at P20 per kilo pushed traders to raise their buying price from P13 to P23, and Valenzuela City, which saved P15 per kilo of rice through direct farmer procurement.

The senator also pushed for the inclusion of Sagip Saka as a special provision in the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act to institutionalize direct purchases and ensure that government food programs benefit local producers.