The Department of Agriculture has created a Food Security Task Force to strengthen monitoring and response mechanisms for potential disruptions in agricultural supply, prices and trade, as the country tries to keep the cost of goods down amid an ongoing energy emergency and geopolitical tensions in key export markets.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the move formalizes and replaces the agency’s previous ad hoc monitoring system with a more structured and data-driven approach to tracking essential commodities.
The task force will conduct daily briefings on the country’s food situation, with reports to be submitted to Congress and the Office of the President to support policy decisions.
Initially, the task force will operate within the DA, focusing on consolidating data, standardizing reports and delivering timely information to policymakers.
Separately, the DA said it is preparing to roll out direct fuel subsidies for truckers to ease rising transport costs that have weighed heavily on vegetable farmers.
Tiu Laurel said the measure comes as fuel prices surge due to global oil market pressures and geopolitical tensions, significantly increasing the cost of hauling produce from highland farms to trading centers and major markets.
Farmers and truckers reported that freight costs have doubled to tripled in recent months, with fuel expenses for trips from Benguet to Metro Manila rising sharply.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering broader fiscal interventions to cushion the economy from the potential fallout of prolonged tensions in the Middle East.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the government should begin preparing a supplemental budget to support vulnerable sectors if the crisis persists.
Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate PROTECT and Finance committees, warned that extending amelioration programs could require an additional P60 billion to as much as P400 billion under a worst-case scenario.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, for his part, said the government should maximize around P230 billion in potential funds from the 2025 and 2026 national budgets.
He said these include nearly P200 billion in unobligated and unreleased appropriations under the 2026 General Appropriations Act and another P31 billion under the 2025 budget.
In a related development, the Pag-IBIG Fund has approved a special benefits package for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the Middle East crisis, allowing them to access savings and receive temporary relief on housing loan payments.
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said the package is intended to assist repatriated OFWs as they recover and rebuild their lives in the Philippines.
Under the program, qualified OFW members may withdraw up to 100 percent of their Pag-IBIG regular savings—including employee and employer contributions as well as dividends—before the usual 20-year maturity period.
Members may also withdraw up to 100 percent of their Modified Pag-IBIG II (MP2) savings, including earned returns, ahead of the five-year maturity period.
In addition, qualified borrowers may avail of a three-month moratorium on Pag-IBIG housing loan payments without interest or penalties, with the loan term extended accordingly.
Impact of disrupted global shipping routes
“Since the start of the war, monitoring has been largely ad hoc. This task force standardizes reporting and provides more detailed data for faster, better decision-making,” Tiu Laurel said.
He said the task force will closely track the impact of disrupted global shipping routes, particularly in the Middle East, which have affected Philippine exports such as bananas and pineapples.
According to the agriculture chief, these disruptions have already resulted in “opportunity losses,” as exporters are forced to divert shipments to alternative markets, often at lower prices. This, he said, affects both producers and the broader economy.
To mitigate the impact, the DA is coordinating with financial institutions, including the Land Bank of the Philippines, to extend support to exporters facing losses linked to logistical bottlenecks and weaker market prices.
The department is also exploring alternative export markets in Africa, Australia, Europe and Southeast Asia, although Tiu Laurel acknowledged that expansion efforts may be constrained by logistical challenges and stiff competition.
“The situation is complex. Prices, supply, exports, and trade routes all require daily monitoring. A dedicated task force ensures decision-makers have the data they need,” Tiu Laurel said.
He added that the DA continues to coordinate closely with Malacañang through regular meetings and communication with executive officials, noting that the formal task force is expected to streamline reporting, close information gaps and enable faster government response to protect both consumers and producers.
Fuel subsidy eyed for agricultural transport
Under the DA intervention, the subsidy aims to stabilize transport operations, ensure the continuous flow of agricultural goods and prevent further increases in vegetable prices.
Tiu Laurel said the program for truckers forms part of broader government efforts to support the agricultural logistics chain and shield both producers and consumers from the effects of volatile fuel costs.
He emphasized that close coordination with local government units (LGUs) will be critical to ensure the subsidy reaches transporters directly moving agricultural goods.
“DA has to really exert efforts with the LGUs to determine what a municipality or province lacks, so these can be complemented by surplus produce from areas with full harvesting capacity to maximize our food supply,” he said.
The DA is also working on complementary measures to maintain stable food supply levels, but stressed that the fuel subsidy would serve as an immediate relief mechanism to address urgent transport challenges.
Lawmakers weigh fiscal response to crisis
“A supplemental budget or Bayanihan 3 is really necessary. For example, a loan reprieve could be granted. For credit cards, interest charges could also be waived for the next one or two months. There are many components to that,” Gatchalian said.
A preliminary report submitted to Malacañang recommended a targeted relief package that includes P1,500 in monthly aid for 5 million minimum wage earners and workers in micro, small and medium enterprises, at a cost of P7.5 billion.
The proposal also includes a P1,500 monthly cash top-up for 3.5 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), costing P15.75 billion over three months.
In addition, it seeks expanded support for near-poor families and newly vulnerable households through P3,000 in monthly financial assistance for 1.4 million families, amounting to P4.2 billion each month.
“The government must plan this carefully and have a clear direction on how the available funds will be used, as well as where the other powers under the state of energy emergency will be applied,” Lacson said.
He added that the most affected sectors, particularly transportation, should be prioritized, noting that assisting them would also benefit middle- and low-income commuters.
Lacson said cash aid may still be part of the response but stressed that any distribution system must be data-driven to ensure assistance reaches intended beneficiaries rather than being diverted through political channels.
He also cautioned against hastily suspending the value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products, saying the proposal requires deeper study due to its potential fiscal impact.
“It is not that simple. Some calls for suspending the VAT may sound good to the people but its impact on our economy is huge. We may suffer in the long- or medium-term,” he said.
Lacson said the government could lose more than P320 billion in revenues if VAT on fuel is suspended, on top of about P200 billion in foregone revenues if excise taxes are also removed.
Relief for repatriated OFWs
Housing Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, who chairs the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, said the approval is timely as the repatriation of war-affected OFWs continues.
“Through this benefits package, qualified members may access their Pag-IBIG savings and receive temporary relief on housing loan payments, giving them more room to provide for their families and meet urgent needs during this difficult time,” Aliling said.
The Pag-IBIG Fund said it has 891,427 registered OFW members in the Middle East as of February 2026, including 86,234 MP2 savers and 40,024 housing loan borrowers. The largest concentrations are in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Pag-IBIG chief executive officer Marilene Acosta said the agency is prepared to roll out the assistance in a manner that is prompt and accessible.
“We recognize that for this assistance to be truly responsive, it must be made available to qualified members in a manner that is fast, clear, and accessible,” Acosta said.
She said applications for the benefits will be available online through the Virtual Pag-IBIG platform, while more than 200 branches, OFW centers and service offices nationwide will also be ready to assist members and their families.
Acosta added that the initiative supports the broader assistance and reintegration efforts of the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for affected OFWs.
“Our goal is to make sure that qualified OFW members can turn to Pag-IBIG Fund for immediate and practical support as they recover,” she said.
