Lance Lopez

PANGILINAN PUSH LEADS MARCOS TO OKAY EOs ON PALAY FLOOR PRICE, FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF SAGIP SAKA ACT Sen. Kiko Pangilinan's push for urgent agricultural reforms has prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to approve the issuance of two executive orders (EOs): one setting a floor price for palay purchases by government agencies and local government units (LGUs), and another directing the full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act. Pangilinan, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, presented a five-point agenda during a meeting in Malacañang on Thursday with Marcos, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III. The senator urged systematic reforms to boost food security, support farmers and fisherfolk, and shield the sector from the combined challenges of climate change, food inflation, and exploitative trade practices. Malacañang also backed Pangilinan's proposals to review the National Food Authority (NFA) charter, amend the Rice Tariffication Law, create a Congressional Commission on Agriculture, and strengthen cooperatives through the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the Department of Agriculture's extension services. Pangilinan thanked Marcos and the Cabinet officials for committing to reforms long sought by farmers and stakeholders, calling the move a crucial step toward empowering the agriculture sector.