CEBU City is considering requiring City Hall-run offices to source agricultural products directly from accredited local farmers and cooperatives.
This was the mandate of a proposed ordinance, endorsed by City Councilor Michelle Abella-Cellona to the City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, to strengthen the implementation of the national Sagip Saka Act, or Republic Act (RA) 11321.
RA 11321, enacted in 2019, encourages direct procurement from farmers and fisherfolk to stabilize incomes and improve the quality of life for producers.
If approved, the Local Farmers First Procurement Ordinance would apply to all city offices, including hospitals, schools, feeding programs, barangay facilities and City Hall-run canteens.
Covered agricultural products would include rice, vegetables, fruits, eggs, root crops and other farm goods.
Exceptions would be allowed in cases of supply shortages due to calamities or insufficient local production. The city agriculturist has to issue a Certificate of Non-Availability of Supply (CNAS) if natural calamities wipe out local farms, or local cooperatives are unable to meet volume requirements.
If these exceptions apply, procurement must prioritize farmers from other towns within Cebu Province.
The proposal outlines mechanisms for procurement, including negotiated contracts, framework agreements, annual supply arrangements and cluster-based systems.
It eliminates reliance on transactions through middlemen or commercial retailers.
Prices would follow prevailing farm-gate rates, logistics costs and fair markups.
The Office of the City Agriculturist would be tasked with maintaining a database of local producers and crop schedules to guide city purchasing decisions.
To address fluctuating supply and inconsistent volume, the City will implement systems like Crop Programming and Crop Calendaring (for annual planning), an Aggregation System or consolidation hubs, Buffer Stocking Mechanisms (such as emergency reserves of rice, vegetables and eggs) and Farmer Clustering.
Any City Hall personnel who knowingly circumvent direct procurement in favor of private traders or suppliers will be subject to administrative liability, administrative sanctions under civil service rules, cancellation of procurement authority and an anti-graft charge. / EHP