'We will shake things up': Pangilinan visits UPLB, vows changes in agri sector

'WE WILL SHAKE THINGS UP': PANGILINAN VISITS UPLB, VOWS CHANGES IN AGRI SECTOR

"I intend to shake things up."

This was what Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, who now chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, promised when he held a meeting with the executive committee of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB), the country's leading institution for agricultural education and research.

But to do that, the senator underscored the role that the academe--particularly the UPLB--must play.

"I'm now chairman of the Agriculture Committee and we expect to make major headway in addressing the challenges of agriculture and food and I look forward to partnering with UPLB," Pangilinan said. "I intend to shake things up and I will need your help."

A product of the UP System, having earned his bachelor's and law degrees from UP Diliman, the senator recognized the academe as a "stakeholder" in the country's agricultural and rural development.

During a meeting attended by UPLB's top-ranking officials held last August 2 at the Office of the Chancellor, the agriculture committee chair provided the platform for chancellors, vice-chancellors, deans, and professors to present the various programs and projects by the university.

Among the topics discussed were agri-related concerns, legislative and research proposals, and funding requests.

UPLB's executive committee, in particular, was requesting for amendments to be made to Republic Act 12215, or An Act Regulating the Practice of the Agriculture Profession, and additional funding for the Agricultural and Rural Development Scholarship (ARDS), for Project ReTraCe, for the commercialization of UPLB's FertiGroe N, P, K nano fertilizers, and for the expansion of its veterinary (poultry and livestock) services.

They also sought the senator's sponsorship of the BIDANI Act, which intends to train, develop, and capacitate barangays to create their own nutrition program. The committee also highlighted the need for a bill institutionalizing Project SARAI to develop a national crop forecasting and monitoring system to counter the impact of climate change.

Other proposals heard by the senator included the establishment of national research institutes for agriculture and food in the UPLB-College of Agriculture and Food Science, the modernization of the UP Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and a sponsorship bill to elevate UPLB as the National Research University for Agriculture, Food, and Allied Sciences.

The UPLB executive committee, headed by Chancellor Jose Camacho, thanked the senator for personally reaching out to the academe and for providing a platform where they can forward the needed policies, legislation, and funding for the agricultural sector.

While he has "finite resources" as a lawmaker, Pangilinan promised to "take a look" at their proposals and identify the sector's urgent needs.

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Video Courtesy: Office of Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan
02 Aug 2025 Los Baños [Video] - Sen Kiko

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