Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Wednesday called out the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) for its continued failure to fully implement the Sagip Saka Act of 2019, expressing frustration over bureaucratic roadblocks that he says have delayed much-needed support for farmers and fisherfolk.

Pangilinan recalled a meeting with officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday, where he questioned the GPPB’s interpretation of the law and its insistence on subjecting certain agricultural procurements to traditional bidding rules, despite the Sagip Saka Act’s provisions that explicitly allow direct government purchases from local producers.

“In fact, may argument ako doon. Bakit niyo inilalagay sa ilalim ng community purchases under the procurement law yung binibili sa farmers eh exempted nga sa procurement law?” Pangilinan said, referring to GPPB’s application of outdated procurement rules.

“So, bakit niyo ini-implementa yung Sagip Saka Act using the procurement law?” he added.

Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, emphasized the need for separate and specific guidelines that reflect the intention of Republic Act No. 11321—to make it easier for government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to directly buy rice and other agricultural products from farmers' and fisherfolk cooperatives without public bidding.

“You have to have a separate set of rules for these particular purchases,” he stressed, addressing DA Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu-Laurel Jr. and other officials present.

Pangilinan also lamented that the issue has remained unresolved for over two years, accusing concerned agencies of “dribbling” the implementation and undermining the law’s goal of supporting the livelihood of rural communities.

In an earlier statement, the senator criticized a GPPB resolution that classified rice as a "processed food," effectively excluding it from the coverage of the Sagip Saka Act.

He reiterated his call for the GPPB to issue clear and actionable guidelines for LGUs and other procuring agencies to enable full enforcement of the law.