A senior legislator in the Senate vowed to continue pushing for stronger support for Filipino farmers despite recent changes in the Senate leadership, saying political disputes should not derail urgent action on hunger, food prices and agricultural losses.
Ordinary Filipinos, especially farmers and low-income families, are often the first to suffer when political conflicts slow down government work. The country cannot afford delays as consumers face high food prices and farmers struggle with rising production and transport costs.
“Makapaghihintay ang pulitika; ang gutom, hindi,” Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said after a scheduled Senate hearing on the plight of vegetable farmers in Benguet was postponed following the chamber’s leadership shake-up.
The senator said the situation in Benguet should not be dismissed as a simple case of oversupply of cabbage and carrots. Based on consultations with farmers and Chef Waya Araos, Pangilinan said the deeper problem is a logistics crisis worsened by high fuel prices.
He said many truckers have become hesitant to transport vegetables from Benguet because fuel costs now eat up most, if not all, of their potential earnings. This has left farmers with produce they cannot easily bring to markets, worsening their losses while consumers continue to deal with expensive food.
The senator met with affected farmers shortly after several Senate hearings were canceled in the wake of the reshuffle. He said private consultations were necessary to hear their concerns directly, although they cannot fully replace formal Senate inquiries where testimonies and proposals become part of the public record.
“Ipaglalaban pa rin natin. Hihingi pa rin tayo ng request na ituloy yung mga hearing at mag-conduct ng mga hearing. At sana pakinggan tayo,” the legislator said.
He assured farmers that their concerns would continue to be brought to the national level despite changes in Senate committee leadership, including the Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform.
Pangilinan said the welfare of farmers must remain a priority beyond political alignments and committee assignments. He stressed that the issue is not only about legislative posts, but about families waiting for affordable food, farmers trying to survive and communities depending on government action.
For him, the fight for farmers must continue because food security cannot be suspended by politics.