Senatorial candidate and former senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan recalls his earliest days as a young lawyer not by the number of cases he won, but by a nickname given to him by his father: “Atty. Biko.”

The moniker, he shared, came from a client who, unable to pay in cash for Pangilinan’s pro bono legal services, gifted him a bilao of biko — a traditional sticky rice delicacy — after winning a wrongful dismissal case. “That was my payment. When my father found out, he told me, ‘From now on, I’ll call you Atty. Biko,’” he said in Filipino during a brief campaign stop in Batangas on 3 April.

With less than 40 days before the May 2025 elections, Pangilinan is running to return to the Senate, bringing with him decades of experience in grassroots service and public policy. He has long advocated for food security and farmer empowerment, anchored in his legislative work and real-world interactions with Filipino agricultural workers.

Pangilinan’s early commitment to service began during his student days, serving as chairman of the UP Diliman Student Council in 1986 and becoming the first voting Student Regent on the UP Board of Regents in 1987. He also represented the Philippines in the ASEAN Committee on Youth Cooperation.

From free legal aid to public service, Pangilinan’s path led him to the Senate, where he authored and championed laws aimed at protecting the most vulnerable. A key piece of legislation he authored is the Sagip Saka Act, which allows national and local governments to directly purchase produce from farmers and fisherfolk, bypassing the usual procurement restrictions to ensure fair pricing and timely support.

The law was born out of a personal commitment to the Kalasag farmers, whose struggles opened Pangilinan’s eyes to the systemic issues in Philippine agriculture. He vowed to work for fairer market access and higher incomes for farmers — an effort he continues to pursue.

Now seeking another term in the Senate, Pangilinan aims to expand and fully implement the Sagip Saka Act, believing it holds the key to lowering food prices while supporting local producers. He emphasized that the fight against hunger transcends politics.

“Food should not be a privilege. It is a right,” Pangilinan said. “Our priority is to lower food prices, and we are ready to work with anyone. Hunger has no color. And neither should the solution.”