Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. is seeking to boost Pampanga’s agriculture sector by coordinating with the provincial government on projects aimed at strengthening the country’s food security.

During a meeting with Gov. Lilia Pineda and Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda at the Capitol Building in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, on 21 January 2026, Laurel discussed proposed agricultural initiatives in the province.

These include the establishment of small rice complexes, planting activities on government-owned properties, and the development of irrigation systems to improve farm productivity.

Laurel and the Pinedas also discussed Farm-to-Market Roads (FMRs), with an emphasis on farmer participation in project implementation to ensure that the identified infrastructure responds to actual needs on the ground.

The agriculture chief later visited the Command and Control Center in Barangay Sindalan, where he evaluated the provincial government’s data system for Pampanga’s agricultural industry.

Executive Assistant IV Angelina Blanco presented the integrated platform, which includes farmer profiles and geographic information system (GIS) mapping of farmlands across the province.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) delegation lauded Pampanga’s digital initiatives and said the agency is considering entering into a memorandum of agreement for data sharing once the system is fully completed.

At present, more than 44,000 farmers in Pampanga are registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), the DA’s official database used to identify and prioritize beneficiaries of government agricultural programs and services.