SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go reiterated his call for the government to put the welfare of local farmers and agricultural workers first by providing them with necessary subsidies as the country prepares to import onions to fill the gap and stabilize prices.

“Ako naman po, protect our local farmers. Unahin po natin ang ating mga local farmers,” said Go during an ambush interview after he attended the inauguration of a multipurpose building in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City on Monday, January 16.

“In fact, kailangan nga i-subsidize ang mga local farmers natin just to cross lang po ‘yung harvest season. Suportahan po natin sila. Itong pag-i-import naman po, kung kailangan talaga to stabilize the price,” he added.

Just over 25% of the planned purchase volume, or 5,775 tons, of onions daily will be imported into the Philippines this month, according to the Department of Agriculture. The amount equates to about 27% of the 21,060 tons of onions that the Philippines had originally planned to import.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in an interview on Monday that the local supply of onions is insufficient to meet the demands of the consumers in the Philippines, so the country must resort to importing onions.

Meanwhile, Go also emphasized the importance of putting an end to agricultural smuggling which has a negative impact on the livelihoods of farmers all over the country.

“Unahin munang habulin ang mga smuggler. Mayroon naman tayong anti-smuggling law, parusahan po ang mga smuggler na namamantala at nagko-control po ng presyo,” said Go.

“(Pero) wag naman po ang maliliit na mga kababayan natin na gusto lang naman po siguro na maaari na for their consumption lamang po. Patawarin n’yo na ang mga kababayan natin na gano’n.

Kung hindi naman po nakakasakit o nakakalabag sa ating batas, kawawa naman,” he added.

Go then asked for any wrongdoing to be dealt with quickly so that the people responsible could be brought to justice and punished. He also once again urged the government to do more to stop agricultural smuggling.

“Paigtingin po natin ang ating anti-smuggling drive. Mayroon naman po tayong batas. Nandidiyan naman po ang ating (Bureau of) Customs na hulihin at parusahan ang mga illegal smugglers.

Kapag nahuli po sila agad, parusahan kasuhan at kung maaari ikulong. Tapos ‘yung sibuyas, balatan mo, ipaamoy mo sa kanila nang maiyak sila,” said Go.

Finally, the senator voiced his support for efforts to strengthen the fight against smuggling by implementing plans to modernize and digitalize the Bureau of Customs.

“I am in favor po diyan sa pagbabago na i-digitalize na po ang Customs. I support it. Government should be more responsive po to the demands of changing times,” he said.

Go himself filed Senate Bill No. 1738, or the proposed “E-Governance Act,” which mandates the government to establish an integrated, interconnected, and inter-operable information and resource-sharing and communications network.

“Layunin nitong pagbutihin ang trabaho at serbisyo through the use of ICT. Modern times na po tayo sa ngayon, talagang bago na at dumadaan na po sa digital form na ang lahat,” said Go.

“Halos lahat, bayad, transaksyon. So, ako naman po, the government must use information and communications technology to better serve its purpose. Gamitin po ang makabagong teknolohiya upang mas magampanan ng gobyerno ang ating mandato,” he added.

Citing the crucial role of farmers in ensuring food security, Go has been consistently pushing for stronger agricultural support systems and infrastructure.

He was one of the authors of the measure that became Republic Act No. 11901, expanding the agriculture, fisheries, and rural development financing system. He has also been advocating for other programs to support farmers and fisherfolks in the country, such as the enhancement of the irrigation of farmlands and expansion of the National Rice Program.