What is Sagip Saka?

We just launched SAGIP SAKA yesterday. A program meant to provide government, private sector support for agriculture and fisheries. At least P100 million in Priority Development Assistance Funding has been allocated to pilot various interventions for 24 agricultural communities all over the country for the Sagip Saka.

Sagip Saka is an advocacy to achieve sustainable modern agriculture and food security by transforming agricultural communities to reach their full potential, improving farmers’ and fishers’ quality of life, and bridging gaps through public-private partnerships. It will do this through interventions in the following areas: (1) providing access to investments and credit, (2) opening access to market, (3) rolling out infrastructure, (4) strengthening research and development, (5) organizing farmer communities and cooperatives, (6) ensuring the quality and consistency of supply, (7) mitigating the risks brought about by climate change.


It is built upon five pillars of close and critical collaboration among the following sectors: (1) the Department of Agriculture and other government agencies, (2) the business sector, (3) farmers and fishers cooperatives, (4) civil society organizations and micro-finance institutions, (5) and local government units.

Sagip Saka is meant to give agriculture and fisheries the primacy that it deserves by focusing on improving the quality of life of our farmers and fisherfolk and, in doing so, building sustainable farming communities nationwide as a means to achieve food security. Only through strong public-private partnerships can we achieve this.

The 24 beneficiaries that have been chosen for the first phase of Sagip Saka are the following: five Gawad Kalinga “Enchanted Farm” projects in Angat, Bulacan; Daet, Camarines Norte; Libmanan, Camarines Sur; Victorias City, Negros Occidental; Davao City, Davao del Sur; the Cagangohan Women Association (CWA) in Panabo, Davao del Norte; Lupon San Isidro Farmers Organization in San Isidro, Davao Oriental; Panaw Sumilao Multipurpose Cooperative in Sumilao, Bukidnon; Danlugan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur; Office of the Provincial Agriculturist in Bohol Province; Samahang Mangingisda ng Brgy. Himo-Aw in Barangay Himo-Aw, Hilongos, Leyte; the rehabilitation of the Ifugao Rice Terraces for the benefit of rice farmers in the Province of Ifugao; Pecuaria Development Cooperative, Inc. in Bula, Camarines Sur; Sugar Farmers of Negros Occidental; Mindoro Ecological and Sustainable Agriculture Federation (MESAFED) in Victoria, Socorro, Pola, and Nauan, Oriental Mindoro; Construction of a fish port in the Municipality of Tiwi, Albay; the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council in Tiwi, Albay; Rice Terraces Farmers’ Cooperative in Banaue, Ifugao; the Federation of Mango Stakeholders of Region I in Ilocos Norte; San Jose City Onion and Other Vegatable Farmers through the Local Government Unit of San Jose City in Nueva Ecija; Amungan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Iba, Zambales; Café Amadeo Development Cooperative in Amadeo, Cavite; Kooperatiba sa Patuloy na Pag-Unlad ng Agrikultura in San Pablo City, Laguna; and coffee farmers through the Provincial Government of Cavite.

Hindi po one-shot deal ang Sagip Saka, because our focus is to make the program sustainable so that we can help more agriculture and fisheries workers and communities in the coming years. Hindi po ito charity or dole-out because every Sagip Saka community has gone through a thorough screening process, and we have a criteria for selecting our beneficiaries. We have ensured that for every Sagip Saka community, there is the presence of strong and effective partnerships between and among at least two of our five pillars.

Aside from P100 million from our office's Prioritity Assistance Development Fund, the Department of Agriculture also allocated P20 million for the Ifugao Rice Terraces, the local government of Cavite allocated P5 million for Cavite pilot projects, and the Bicol local government allocated P4 million for Bicol pilot project. We call on other local governments and government agencies to support this program and support the farmers and the fisherfolk who are the lifeblood of our communities.

The real heart of Sagip Saka is the drive to bring farmers and fisherfolk out of poverty and to give them the respect that their professions so deserve, with the belief that empowering our agricultural sector with financial stability and disposable income will also make a huge impact on our economy.

When this 60% of our labor force can afford to live better lives, they will spend more for food, for housing, for the education of their children, for some basic necessities and even some luxuries. Imagine the impact of that on consumption and spending. Imagine how much more money will flow around and pave the way for the creation of more jobs? The possibilities are truly tremendous.

True agrarian reform should raise farmers' incomes, improve quality of rural life

We would like to remind the government that the true goal of agrarian reform should not be just giving land to farmers, but ensuring that these lands give agricultural workers the means to "drastically" improve their lives and secure their futures.

Giving farmers their due in terms of land is just Step One in ensuring that these farmers are able to secure and sustain themselves. The greater work ahead is to ensure that these farms become viable and profitable so that the country achieves its goal of food self-sufficiency while drastically improving the incomes of our farmers and agricultural workers.

This is one key to achieving developed-nation status in a decade and a half.

The next step to land distribution is to provide integrated support programs that will involve the DA, DAR, DTI, LGUs, and even NGOs to ensure that the distributed lands will provide increased incomes for the farmers.


These support programs should be aimed at organizing more farmer groups and giving them access to capital and markets, post-harvest facilities and infrastructure, research and development, and the ability to ensure quality and consistency and supply.

The act of distributing lands will not mean anything more than a moral victory for the farmers if the government treats such as the end goal. The reason CARP has failed is that the focus was on land distribution rather than on productivity and increasing farmers' income. Land distribution is just the first step. Without support services, the farmers will fail and may end up prey to land speculators who will buy up these lands.

If we truly want to secure our country's future, then we must first secure the futures of our farmers and agricultural workers, who comprise over a third of our labor force--and over sixty percent if we consider those who are indirectly involved in the agricultural sector. If we are able to ensure the productivity of our farms and at least double their incomes, then we will help in pump-priming the economy while securing our domestic food requirements.

This is what agrarian reform ought to be about. We still have a lot of work ahead.

Land distribution alone will not address farmer's sorry plight

Distributing land is only the first step toward true agrarian reform.

The end goal really ought to be increasing the incomes of our farmers. Many of our lands are idle and unproductive, forcing most farmers to resell lands given to them.

It is critical for government to extend immediate integrated support services to guide the farmers in utilizing the lands being distributed to them.

There should be integrated programs that will involve the DA, DAR, DTI, LGUs, and even NGOs to ensure that the distributed lands will provide increased incomes for the farmers."

The act of distributing lands will not mean anything more than a moral victory for the farmers if the government treats such as the end goal. The reason CARP has failed is that the focus was on land distribution rather than on productivity and increasing farmers' income. Land distribution is just the first step. Without support services, the farmers will fail and may end up prey to land speculators who will buy up these lands.

It is a sad irony that our most crucial link to our food supply is also the weakest link in the chain. We urge the government to extend support to our farmers and provide the necessary linkages according to their needs. The whole country will benefit from the upliftment of our farmers out of poverty. This will solve our need to be food self-sufficient, plus the increased incomes in the countryside will boost demands for goods and services.

Subsidize adaptive seed varieties to farmers in preparation for possible impact of Thailand flooding on world rice supply and price

Thailand may lose 6 million metric tons of unmilled rice as floods damage key plantation areas. This constitutes 40 percent of the normal Thai export, or 12 percent of total global exports. We must take preemptive steps to ensure we have steady supply to feed our people.

The DA must strategize in helping local farmers increase their yield by aggressive intervention. We call for massive modernization of the country’s rice mills.

We currently have 55 to 60 percent recovery. If we use more modern milling machines and increase recovery rate even by 5 percent, we won’t have to import rice. Comparatively, China and Thailand have 68 to 79 percent recovery. We must be proactive and our approach must be scientific in anticipation of disruptions in the world market. Depending on the adequacy of stocks in Cambodia, Vietnam and Burma, world prices of rice may go up again. We must engage in aggressive interventions now before prices skyrocket.

Increasing our yield is an imperative so that we do not find ourselves at the mercy of rice exporting nations as we secure the much needed supply of our basic staple.

Create a new generation of 'farmtreneurs'

The government’s plan to relocate some 500,000 informal settlers in the metro to agricultural lands should extend to those who are jobless and unemployed who are willing to work yet do not have the opportunities.

Nearly three million are jobless. Our farmers’ average age is 57. We need to encourage a new generation of Filipinos to go into farming and agribusiness.

We are working closely with the Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. Along with the private sector, we convened the Agriculture and Fisheries 2025 (AF2025). AF2025 ‘s goal is to craft a long-term program that would address issues hounding the country’s agricultural and fisheries sector.

We need to create a core of young people and turn them into ‘farmtreneurs’ willing to go into farming and agribusiness and boost rural development and create jobs in the agriculture and fisheries sector. Instead of leaving the country to be employed abroad, we should encourage the jobless and unemployed to leave the urban centers and go into farming in the rural areas.

Creating a new generation of ‘farmtreneurs’ is key to achieving food security. Without a new generation of young farmers, we undermine the nation’s goal of ensuring adequate food supply for our people.

At an average age of 57, our farmers are an endangered species needing immediate government intervention. When we lose our farmers to call centers or jobs overseas, we lose our capacity to secure our food requirements.