Legarda files bill backing local food producers

Sen. Loren Legarda has filed Senate Bill No. 2051, or the Local Harvest Support Act of 2026, seeking to strengthen food security and protect the livelihoods of farmers and fisherfolk as rising fuel costs and soaring prices of basic goods continue to strain rural producers.

“Kapag bumabagsak ang presyo ng ani at huli, ang magsasaka at mangingisda ang unang naaapektuhan. Sa Local Harvest Support Act, sisiguraduhin nating may tiyak na kita sila at may masustansyang pagkain ang bawat pamilya,” Legarda stressed.

The measure would institutionalize a “Local First” procurement policy requiring local government units, state universities and colleges, public schools and government hospitals to source most of their food requirements directly from farmers and fisherfolk.

By bypassing middlemen and streamlining procurement, the bill aims to connect rural producers directly with institutional markets, creating guaranteed demand that could shield them from market losses and global price shocks.

The proposal cites mounting pressures facing producers across the country.

In Ilocos Norte, mango growers are struggling with fuel expenses that consume nearly 30 percent of their net income.

In Sorsogon, tamban prices have collapsed from PHP 1,200 to PHP 60 per tub, making ice more expensive than the fish itself.

In Benguet, vegetable farmers are being forced to sell produce at PHP 3 per kilo despite spending PHP 18–PHP 20 per kilo to grow it.

These examples, according to the bill, highlight the vulnerability of farmers and fisherfolk to oil price volatility, logistical bottlenecks and market gluts.

“Kung may sobra o glut sa merkado, puwede nang direktang bumili ang pamahalaan para hindi sila malulugi. Sa ganitong paraan, makakarating agad ang pagkain sa mga paaralan, ospital, at komunidad,” Legarda noted.

Under the proposed measure, government entities would be required to source at least 80 percent of their food requirements from rural or proximate areas.

In highly urbanized areas, the required local sourcing threshold would be 60 percent.

That threshold could be reduced to as low as 40 percent only if logistical hardships are proven and limited waivers are granted.

The bill would also grant the Department of Agriculture emergency authority to conduct “rescue buy” operations during market gluts.

Under that mechanism, the department could purchase produce at sustainable prices and redirect the food to buffer stocks, disaster relief and feeding programs.

Transactions would use Negotiated Procurement Sagip Saka, or NP SS, which is exempt from public bidding and allows direct negotiation with local producers.

The Department of Agriculture would also be required to issue an annual National Agricultural Proximity Map.

That map would classify procuring entities as “Proximate” or “Urbanized,” which would determine their sourcing mandate under the measure.

The bill further provides that procuring entities must buy at prices higher than farmgate rates but still within the retail range.

For glut situations, prices would be based on those prevailing during the previous regular harvest season.

The proposed law is expected to redirect billions of pesos in government spending directly into rural communities, potentially helping spur development and provide longer-term financial stability through guaranteed contracts.

For consumers, particularly students covered by feeding programs and patients in government hospitals, the measure is expected to improve access to fresher and more nutrient-dense meals.

The bill also seeks to strengthen national food sovereignty, reduce reliance on imports and protect the local food supply chain from global shocks.

Legarda’s proposal expands on the principles of the Sagip Saka Act, or Republic Act No. 11321, and Executive Order No. 101, series of 2025.

EO 101 already directs national government agencies to implement direct procurement from farmers and fisherfolk under the Sagip Saka framework.

However, the bill notes that EO 101 mainly serves as an executive directive and does not set fixed sourcing thresholds, comprehensive compliance mechanisms or enforceable coverage for private food concessionaires.

The proposed measure seeks to address those gaps by institutionalizing mandatory sourcing percentages, integrating compliance into procurement systems and extending coverage to concessionaires operating within government premises through preferential sourcing criteria.

“Sa batas na ito, malinaw na ang batayan ng rescue-buy at ang mga hakbang na dapat gawin. Wala nang dahilan para maging mabagal ang tugon ng gobyerno sa panahon ng krisis o sakuna. May malinaw nang mekanismo para mabili ang ani sa tamang presyo, maiwasan ang pag-aaksaya, at agad itong maipamahagi sa mga komunidad na nangangailangan,” Legarda concluded.