Pampanga farmers seek Pangilinan’s help to increase rice prices

SEN. Francis N. Pangilinan on Sunday visited a group of farmers in San Simon, Pampanga and held a dialogue to gather more inputs and proposed action steps on the daily challenges to get first-hand information on the impact of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The rice farmers are complaining that while the price of fertilizers keeps on skyrocketing, the cost of palay remains the same, saying the government should step in and push measures that will level the prices for them to bring home a larger income.

“’Yung pataba napakamahal tapos yung palay naman namin kapag binenta, napakamura,” Aurelio Pangan said, citing fertilizers’ price had increased three times already and is now at P2,500.

“Pinipilit namin magsaka kahit na mahirap ang buhay dito sa Pampanga tapos napakamahal pa ng mga bilihin. Pero sana po matugunan ng pansin na iyong palay ay tumaas man lang ang presyo para kumita naman kami,” he added.

Upon learning this, Pangilinan told the farmers about the Sagip Saka Act, which was signed into law in April 2019. The law mandates local government units and national and local government agencies to purchase the produce of local fisherfolk and farmers in the hopes of increasing their income.

“Ang gobyerno pwede nang bumili direkta sa mga magsasaka na wala nang bidding. Halimbawa, iyong mga local government unit, di ba nangangailangan yan ng mga bigas para sa ayuda tuwing may mga kalamidad? Iyon ding mga provincial jails, nangangailangan ang mga iyan ng ipangkakain sa mga preso. Pati na ang provincial hospitals,” Pangilinan said.

“Ang layunin ng batas na iyon, iyong ginagastos ng gobyerno, malaking porsyento noon, ay dapat sa magsasaka binibili para kumita naman talaga kayo. Isa ito sa mga nakikita nating paraan upang tumaas naman ang kita ng magsasaka.”

Darren Simbulan, another farmer, expressed his hopes on the Sagip Saka Act, saying that the law should be implemented efficiently as this will bridge the gap in their income, paving the way for them to increase their production.

Simbulan likewise pleaded additional assistance from the government so farmers would not be forced to leave farming and look for alternative employment.

“Sana mabigyan naman ng pansin ang mga magsasaka dito at mabigyan ng kaunting pondo upang lalo naming mahikayat at maengganyo ang kapwa naming mga magsasaka dahil iyong iba po ay nagtatrabaho na sa mga pabrika kasi hindi sapat ang kinikita o di kaya ay nagbibenta na ng kanilang lupa,” he said.

The farmer also mentioned that some farmers are forced to sell their agricultural lands as they no longer see the good in farming.

“Iyan din po ang kinakatakot namin kasi paano kung itong sakahan ay maging subdivision na sa darating na panahon dahil unti unti nang binibenta ng mga magsasaka ang kanilang lupa?

Paano naman kaming mga napamahal na at namulat sa [kahalagahan] ng pagsasaka?” Simbulan said.

While saddened with what he heard, Pangilinan remains hopeful that the Sagip Saka Act will be instrumental in pulling the farmers from the quagmire of poverty, saying that traders are milking so much money from the farmers.

Pangilinan mentioned this after learning from the fishermen of Masinloc in Zambales during his visit there yesterday that traders only pay P80 for fish but sell it for P150 in the markets, which is the same experience as the farmers of Pampanga.