Pangilinan warns LGUs, gov’t agencies: Implement Sagip Saka Act or lose budgets
Sen. Francis Pangilinan said on Thursday that he would seek to defer the budgets of government agencies that fail to present concrete plans to fully implement the Sagip Saka Act.
“I filed a resolution in the Senate. I want to hear from the agencies how they implement this law,” Pangilinan said in a statement.
“If they say they have no plans—then they will have no budget. I will ask them to show me what their plans are. Before Christmas 2025, they should already be buying directly from farmers and fisherfolk. Otherwise, I will not approve their budget, which cost billions and billions,” he added.
Direct sourcing
Authored by Pangilinan and signed into law in 2019, the Sagip Saka Act (Republic Act No. 11321) allows local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies to buy directly from accredited farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives, without the need for a public bidding.
This way, middlemen are taken out of the picture, allowing farmers and fishers to earn more while making agricultural products more affordable for consumers.
Pangilinan, however, lamented that six years after RA 11321 was signed into law, many government agencies and LGUs have yet to uphold its provisions.
He vowed to raise the issue during budget deliberations with key agencies, including the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Education, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Pangilinan’s senatorial campaign in the May midterm elections focused on food security, farmer empowerment and stronger agricultural systems as the solutions to ending hunger and poverty.
He reported that since returning to the Senate, he has been holding dialogues with agencies and LGUs nationwide to ensure that laws like Sagip Saka are implemented in full.
“Example, DOH—we have 60 hospitals across the country. Where do you get food for your patients everyday? Part of that should be directly sourced from farmers,” Pangilinan said.
He also bared that Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has committed to issuing a department order for the full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act.
Pangilinan stressed that the law’s intent is clear: to make government the biggest and most reliable buyer of local produce—ensuring income for producers and nutrition for communities.
