‘Balutin mo ako’: Pangilinan lightens up DAR budget talk with Sharon hit

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Kiko Pangilinan brought some levity to the Senate committee on finance’s budget deliberations for the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Thursday, breaking into a song with a line from his wife Sharon Cuneta’s hit “Bituing Walang Ningning.”

After discussing how better-organized farmers could help boost food supply and reduce hunger, Pangilinan sang the famous line, “Balutin mo ako,” while gesturing as if he was packing food.

Pangilinan was discussing the need to properly organize farmers and connect them directly with institutional buyers, including government agencies, so they could earn more from their produce.

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“Pag marami nang supply ng pagkain, mura na ang pagkain, marami nang handa, pag maraming handa, maraming pwedeng i-’Sharon’,” Pangilinan said.

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(When there is plenty of food supply, food becomes cheaper. When there is plenty of food, there will be plenty to serve, and when there is plenty to serve, there will be plenty to ‘Sharon.’)

The remark drew laughter from the audience and Pangilinan himself, prompting Pangilinan to sing the line while mimicking a packing motion.

READ: Over 500,000 hectares of land handed out to tillers, DAR says

The senator’s quip played on the Filipino party practice and running joke known as “Sharon,” referring to packing (balot) or taking home leftover food from gatherings. The joke is associated with Cuneta, whose name has become synonymous with the practice.

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The lighthearted exchange came after Pangilinan stressed the need for the DAR to ensure that its proposed 2027 budget of P14.69 billion delivers clear and measurable results, particularly for agrarian reform beneficiaries.

During the hearing, Pangilinan said there should be no reason for farmers to remain impoverished if the government could maximize its existing food procurement system and connect it with organized agrarian reform communities.

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Citing data, Pangilinan said the government purchases about P177 billion worth of food every year, including for calamity relief and feeding programs of the Department of Education (DepEd) and other government agencies.

According to DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III, a system like this already exists, with government agencies such as the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Philippine Army directly purchasing food and other requirements from agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Estrella also cited the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as a major purchaser of goods among government agencies.

“If you get that all organized, then there’s no reason why our farmers should be impoverished,” Pangilinan said.

For DAR’s proposed budget, Pangilinan suggested that the agency address challenges facing them, including rising fuel, fertilizer and pesticide costs, as well as the effects of what he described as the “worst-ever” El Niño.

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Following Senate finance committee chairperson JV Ejercito’s motion to approve the DAR budget at the committee level for consideration by the plenary, the committee then approved the motion, subject to DAR’s submission of the requested data and documents. /mr