Former senator and senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan said his experience in the Senate would help him advance legislation aimed at achieving food security and bringing down food prices if elected in the May polls.

Pangilinan has been a three-term senator. “We will use that experience and knowledge of Senate legislative work. We must ensure that hunger has no political color, and politics must be set aside. Let’s help each other. The Philippines is already in chaos; let’s not add to it,” Pangilinan told reporters in Butuan City on Sunday.

He emphasized that addressing food prices should be a priority.

“How can we lessen the chaos? Focus on the work, focus on lowering the price of rice. I believe that all of us, all the senators, would not oppose that. Of course, we will continue to push measures that will lower the cost of living,” he added.

Pangilinan is proposing a “Free Breakfast” program for students from daycare up to senior high school in public schools.

The initiative would complement the Sagip Saka Act, a law he authored in 2019 that enables national and local governments to buy food directly from farmers and fisherfolk.

Pangilinan explained that under the proposed breakfast program, half of the budget must be allocated for direct purchases from local farmers and fishermen. This would, he said, expand market access for agricultural workers while using the government’s buying power to stabilize local food systems.