‘May 9 is about where we’ll bring our country’

PANGILINAN Senate race front-runner RICHARD A. REYES

FORMER Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, now at the top of the latest Pulse Asia poll for the senatorial race, believes truthfulness and honesty in service remains important to voters.

In a roundtable discussion with Inquirer editors and reporters on Thursday night, the senatorial aspirant, a candidate of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), said  his track record in government service was one of the main reasons he has climbed to the top of the polls.

“In my 12 years in the Senate and a year and a half as presidential assistant for food security and agricultural modernization, I was not involved in any [irregularity] and I made sure I kept my nose clean,” Pangilinan said.

He said he was able to maintain a clean name by staying clear of any questionable business “as best as I could.”

“I’d like to think that people are also tired of abuses and corruption and that it is still a big issue for Filipinos on who should be trusted in the government,” he said.

Pangilinan has a piece of advice for the voters: “May 9 is not just about electing people, it is about where we will bring our country. Do you want our country to move forward or do you want it to go back to the age when leaders use their positions for their own interests?”

He expressed confidence that the LP ticket had the integrity, track record and performance that Filipinos are looking for.

“We are in the best position at this stage to continue what we have started. Think about the country,” Pangilinan said.

Not complacent

He said his lead in the polls would not make him complacent, as there were still more than 50 days left before the balloting. “A lot of things can still happen in that period,” he said.

“We cannot let our guard down. We need to be vigilant and show more effort because the real survey happens during Election Day, and we still have a long way to go,” he added.

Asked about his legislative agenda, the 52-year-old candidate, who is seeking a third term in the Senate, said he would focus on poverty reduction through his advocacy of agriculture and fisheries.

“I feel the need for us to push for greater support for the agriculture sector. Seventy percent of [the] poverty [here] is rural poverty, which is really phenomenal because of the lack of livelihood opportunities in the agriculture sector,” he said, noting that the government needs to deal with rural poverty to solve the problem at the national level.

Agricultural services

Pangilinan, who owns a 3-hectare farm in Alfonso, Cavite province, said the government also needs to improve agricultural services, such as providing support to farmers and fishermen so they could earn more.

“This is what we wish to push for in terms of our legislative agenda. How do we provide the necessary support for our agriculture and fisheries sector so that in the end we will address poverty in the country and achieve inclusive growth?” he said.

As for problems caused by El Niño, Pangilinan said the national government should consider declaring a state of calamity in Northern Mindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the two areas greatly affected by drought.

“The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) should get farmers who are not able to plant crops because of El Niño and hire them as workers and laborers,” he said, adding that the strategy will provide farmers a replacement income.

Calamity fund bill

He said he planned to introduce legislation that would separate the agriculture and fisheries calamity fund from the overall calamity fund.

Citing the destruction caused by Typhoon “Lando” (international name: Koppu) last October, Pangilinan said 80 percent of the damage was in agriculture.

A separate calamity fund for the two sectors, he said, “will make sure there is an immediate response” for farmers to be able to plant and harvest again.”

Discussing future plans for farming, Pangilinan said the country should be able to “create clustered farming communities with economies of scale.”

“If you have economies of scale and you organize the farmers, then you can [increase] their income,” he said.