Senator Kiko Pangilinan issued a formal apology on Tuesday, May 12, to resource persons after a scheduled Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform hearing was abruptly scrapped following a sudden leadership reorganization in the upper chamber.
The cancellation drew frustration from stakeholders, including farmer advocate and chef Waya Araos-Wijangco, prompting the senator to clarify the procedural necessity of the move.
“My apologies, Waya for the cancellation of the hearing as the Senate in yesterday’s plenary session declared all positions vacant which includes all Committee chairmanships.”
The legislative standstill followed a 13-vote majority that ousted Senate President Tito Sotto, an action that effectively dissolved all standing committee chairmanships.
Despite losing his post as the agriculture panel chair, Pangilinan maintained that his commitment to the sector remains unshaken.
“Whether or not we are Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, we will remain a sitting senator and will continue as such in pushing for our agriculture and fisheries advocacies centering on empowering our food producers, our farmers and fisherfolk.”
Pangilinan characterized the political upheaval as a “temporary setback,” emphasizing that his legislative focus on food producers would persist regardless of his official title.
“We did not give up in facing political battles in the past when the odds were far greater and yet we prevailed. We certainly will not give up now.”