Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Friday renewed his call for a comprehensive plan to make the Philippines a globally competitive coffee producer and net exporter within the next decade.
Lacson urged the passage of Senate Bill No. 1556, the Philippine National Coffee Industry Development Act of 2025, which seeks to establish a national framework for industry growth and create a Philippine Coffee Board.
“This measure seeks to establish a national framework that will accelerate the development of the coffee industry, create a National Coffee Board, strengthen every link of the value chain, improve the country’s competitiveness, and reduce our heavy reliance on imported coffee,” he said.
The proposal aims to uplift smallholder farmers, who manage about 95% of coffee farms under five hectares, while preserving local varieties such as Barako, Robusta, Arabica, and Excelsa. It also promotes climate-resilient production and value-added processing.
Lacson highlighted that parts of Visayas and Mindanao could be developed as viable plantation areas.
“As a matter of fact, some regions in Visayas and Mindanao may be suitable as coffee plantation areas. The DA needs to be empowered (and supported) by way of legislation. Vietnam is the second largest producer and exporter of coffee in the world next to Brazil,” he said.
He stressed the importance of coffee in Filipino households, noting the need to meet domestic demand while pursuing export opportunities.
“Coffee is a regular part of a typical Filipino breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon meetings. Let’s develop our coffee industry not only for local consumption but to export. Hence, I filed Senate Bill 1556, establishing a Philippine national coffee industry development program,” Lacson added.
The push comes amid growing global competition, highlighting the urgency for the Philippines to strengthen its coffee industry.