MANILA, Dec. 1 -- Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has filed a bill to ensure the protection of the local coffee industry, which has lagged behind imported coffee since the 1880s.

The Philippines used to be among the world's top coffee exporters, but the industry collapsed and is now relying on imports. As much as 81 percent of the country's coffee requirements is now imported.

"Coffee is life for many Filipinos, but for our local growers, it's a daily fight for survival against imports and limited support from the Philippine government," Lacson said in a statement on Monday as he filed Senate Bill 1556, the "Philippine National Coffee Industry Development Act of 2025".

The bill aims to create the Philippine Coffee Board and...