Alarmed by the highest self-rated poverty level in 21 years, former Senator Kiko Pangilinan declared that he will prioritize ensuring food security, advocating for a living wage for Filipino workers, and addressing the high prices of goods if he wins a Senate seat in the 2025 elections.
Pangilinan emphasized that the December 2024 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which showed that 63 percent of Filipino families considered themselves poor, underscored the urgent need to act on these challenges to alleviate the burden of the Filipino people.
“Agarang aksiyon at solusyon ang kailangan ng mga problemang ito para maibsan ang hirap ng ating mga kababayan. Kailangan natin ng mga seryosong tao na talagang magtatrabaho para sa bayan,” Pangilinan emphasized.
The former Senator said he will work on ensuring a living wage for workers to help them cope with the high prices of goods and other expenses.
Pangilinan also expressed willingness to work with the administration to help lower prices of goods, saying hunger and poverty know no political color.
“Ako naniniwala na kapag tumaas ang preso ng mga bilihin, nagkakaroon talaga ng daing ang ating mga kababayan. I support a minimum wage that is reasonable and over time. So dapat magkaroon ng living wage, and I support that,” he said.
To lower prices of rice and other goods, Pangilinan said he would advocate for essential reforms similar to those he implemented as food security secretary during the Aquino administration from June 2014 to September 2015 to lower food prices.
“Nilabanan natin itong mga nagsasamantala gaya ng mga smugglers at hoarders, tiniyak natin ang sapat na supply ng bigas ay nasa merkado, umaabot sa ating mga kababayan, at napababa ang presyo ng bigas,” Pangilinan said.
In a span of one year, Pangilinan successfully reduced rice prices by up to ₱3 pesos per kilo through interventions that reduced rice inflation from 15 percent to 0.8 percent in a span of one year. This in turn led to the lowest nationwide inflation rate in 20 years.
“Bilang driver ng inflation, kapag tumaas ang presyo ng bigas, susunod na rin ang iba pang produkto gaya ng mantika, asin, asukal, at mga gulay. Pero pag binababa mo ang presyo ng bigas, bababa na rin lahat,” he explained.
Pangilinan also reiterated his call for the full implementation of Republic Act 11321, or the Sagip Saka Act, which he authored, to ensure food security and provide livelihood to farmers and fishermen.
The law allows national and local governments to directly purchase produce from farmers and fishermen without going through public bidding.
“Full implementation ng batas na ito ang kailangan para masolusyunan itong problema ng supply ng pagkain. Kapag direktang binibili na sa magsasaka, gaganda ang ating ani,” Pangilinan said.
“Magtatanim pa sila ulit dahil alam nila tama ang presyo at hindi binabarat. Magtatanim ng mas marami, dadami ang supply, babagsak ang presyo ng pagkain, ng bigas. Lahat tayo makikinabang,” he pointed out.
Pangilinan also expressed willingness to work with the administration to help lower prices of goods, saying hunger and poverty know no political color.
“Walang kulay ang gutom. Walang kulay ang kahirapan. Simple lang ang hinihingi ng ating mga kababayan—magkaroon ng abot-kamay na pagkain, magkaroon ng murang bigas, magkaroon ng murang presyo ng karneng baboy, karneng manok. Kailangang magtulungan ang lahat para labanan ang kahirapan,” he said.
