BILANG PILIPINO | Pangilinan bats for better implementation of Sagip Saka Act to help farmers

February 1, 2022 , 01:07 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(February 1, 2022) – Sen. Kiko Pangilinan seeks an improved implementation of the Sagip Saka Act to help improve the condition of farmers as they continue to suffer from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

Pangilinan, who authored and sponsored the law, said the government must purchase the produce of the country’s farmers to help them earn enough for a living instead of importing foreign products, while also stopping greedy middlemen from taking advantage of the situation.

“‘Yung ginagastos ng gobyerno, malaking porsyento noon ay dapat sa magsasaka binibili para kumita naman talaga kayo,” said Pangilinan in a dialogue with farmers in Pampanga on Sunday.

Pangilinan, the vice presidential bet of the Liberal Party in the 2022 elections, said the Sagip Saka Act allows the government to buy local produce even without the stringent bidding process in public transactions.

Farmers have repeatedly raised concerns about the high cost of farming needs that add to their burden. Fertilizers, in particular, have risen to a high cost of P2,500 recently, according to the farmers in Pampanga.

“Pinipilit namin magsaka kahit na mahirap ang buhay dito sa Pampanga tapos napakamahal pa ng mga bilihin. Pero sana matugunan ng pansin na ‘yung palay ay tumaas man lang ang presyo para kumita naman kami,” pleaded farmer Aurelio Pangan.

In 2021, the country’s agricultural output declined by 1.7% compared to the previous year even as the production level grew by 0.6% in the last quarter. Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines also dealt with the damages wrought by Typhoon Odette which wiped out P13.3 billion worth of resources.

Several cause-oriented groups also protested the country’s membership in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, urging senators to help strengthen local agriculture first before forcing it to compete with the foreign market.

“RCEP is a matter of life and death for millions of Filipinos in agriculture and rural areas, who were not even consulted about it,” more than 100 agriculture groups wrote in a letter to the Senate.

Think tank IBON Foundation backed the calls over similar concerns that the country’s agriculture sector might find it difficult to survive, especially given the limited support of the government to farmers and fisherfolk.

“It’s long overdue to let go of the reckless abandonment of agriculture and the Philippine economy to market forces that the Philippines is ill-prepared to take advantage of,” said IBON Foundation in a statement.

Some farmers have reportedly sold their agricultural lands in light of the difficulties they still endure. Pangilinan, who has been a staunch advocate of agriculture, said the government must provide more attention to the country’s food producers.

“Dapat tulungan talaga tayo ng gobyerno. Dapat ang trato natin sa ating mga magsasaka parang trato natin sa ating mga magulang kasi sila ang nagpapakain sa atin,” said Pangilinan.

(PM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.