Kiko Pangilinan wants SRP on tomatoes amid oversupply woes 

NUEVA Ecija —Senatorial candidate Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said on Friday that he wants a suggested retail price on tomatoes amid the oversupply in the kitchen staple. 

"Well, suggested retail price siguro, depending on kung ano yung kanilang gastos, kung ano ang magiging mark-up nila, at dapat talaga seamless yung supply chain," he told GMA News Online in a chance interview as he met with tomato farmers in Rizal, Nueva Ecija. 

(Maybe, we can have a suggested retail price, depending on their expenses, on what will be their mark-up price.  The supply chain should also be seamless).

The per kilo price of tomatoes have dropped to as low as P4 to P5 in parts of Luzon. This is a huge decline from the P300 per kilo price last January. 

Farmers' group SINAG earlier called on the government to implement a floor price on tomatoes to help farmers amid the oversupply.

Pangilinan said that direct connection between farmers and the market can help solve the oversupply issue. 

"Yun dapat para maging steady ang prices, idi-direkta sa merkado yung galing sa farm, mawawala yung maraming mga layer, yung mga middlemen na patong-patong, mawawala lahat 'yun," he said. 

(Prices will stabilize if the produce will come straight from the farm to the market, the layers of distribution will be removed, we will get rid of the middlemen).

Tax incentives

Further, Pangilinan said that he wants to amend Republic Act No. 11321 or the Sagip Saka Law, which he authored, by giving tax incentives to businesses that will provide assistance to the agricultural sector. 

"Mayroong tax incentive ang mga kumpanya na involved sa food businesses na magbibigay ng donasyon ng equipment, donasyon ng lupa, donasyon ng training sa mga farmers, fisherfolks, and coops. In other words, halimbawa [may] gusto mag-donate ng isang refrigerated na van sa isang onion grower, yung kanyang donasyon pwedeng ibawas sa kanyang corporate income tax," he said. 

"Mapupunta ngayon yung kapital sa agri sector, kapag nangyari na yun, magkakaroon ng modernization ang ating agri sector," Pangilinan added. 

(Companies involved in the food business which gives donations like equipment, lot, training to farmers and fisherfolk and cooperatives will get tax incentives.  The capital will go to the agriculture sector, if this happens, the sector will modernize).

Survey results 

Pangilinan remains unfazed with the survey results despite not making it to the so-called "Magic 12."

Pangilinan, who last served as a senator from 2016 to 2022, believes the surveys do not necessarily reflect the outcome of the election results. 

"Unang-una, maraming resulta ng Halalan, na wala sa Top 12 noong umpisa ng kampanya, pero nanalo....Sa atin, trabaho lang, let's just keep working and hopefully, makikita ng ating mga kababayan yung worth ng ating adbokasiya na murang pagkain, at siyempre labanan itong mataas na presyo ng bilihin," he said. 

(In the past elections, some who were not in the top 12 manage to win.  We will just keep working and hopefully, the people will see the value of our advocacies).

According to the results of the poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations released last February 26, Pangilinan ranked 15th in the senatorial survey. 

With a few months before the elections, he remains optimistic. 

"I am optimistic that eventually, the people will hear our message and will support us, and we will win," said Pangilinan. —LDF, GMA Integrated News

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