To reinforce grassroots food security and combat malnutrition and stunting, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is advocating for permanent legal status and increased funding for the Gulayan sa Barangay at Paaralan Program.
The initiative is outlined in Senate Bill No. 2380 (the Gulayan sa Barangay at Paaralan Act), which Pangilinan filed on August 4. The legislation seeks to formalize the establishment of local gardens in neighborhood plots and school grounds to widen food availability and supply families with fresh produce.
Pangilinan asserted that hunger remains unacceptable when local populations possess the means to cultivate their own crops.
“Hindi tama na may mga kabarangay at mag-aaral tayong kumakalam ang sikmura, lalo na’t kung pwede at kaya naman nating magtanim at umani sa sarili nating mga komunidad. Ipinakita na ng programang ito ang tagumpay sa mga barangay at paaralan na nagpatupad nito,” he stated.
He highlighted that codifying the initiative into law will help foster a spirit of shared community effort.
“Sa pagsasabatas, paiigtingin natin itong programang isinasabuhay ang bayanihan. Tataniman ng magkakapitbahay mismo ang lupa at espasyo para sa mga community gardens, at pagsasaluhan ang mga masustansya at masaganang bunga nito,” he added.
If passed, the bill will mandate every barangay to set aside land for shared farming, while public schools with suitable grounds will be required to run gardening initiatives.
Pangilinan noted that because the program relies on administrative orders, implementation remains vulnerable to changing administrative agendas and uneven execution.
“Hindi dapat one-time project ang paglaban sa gutom. Kailangan itong maging tuloy-tuloy, organisado, at bahagi ng ating pambansang programa sa food security,” he stressed.
Under the proposed structure, the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Education (DepEd) will jointly manage the program.
Initial operations will draw from the current budgets of these executive departments before transitioning to dedicated allocations under the annual General Appropriations Act.
Government records indicate that the existing program already spans 44,965 schools—representing a 94% adoption rate among public educational institutions—while more than 4.3 million households maintain local crop production efforts.