‘Real’ rice program: President Marcos urged to tackle this in SONA

Farmers harvest rice in Villasis town in Pangasinan province in this March 2022  photo. INQUIRER.NET  FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Senator Imee Marcos wants to hear some “action programs” that her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will tackle in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this July 22.

Senator Marcos shared her thoughts in a press conference held in Cebu City Monday night, July 8.

One of the issues that the senator wishes the President to tackle is the prices of rice.

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“Naririnig natin na magiging 20 pesos, 29 pesos, 49 pesos. Pero, sa pakiwari ko, wala pa akong nakikita (nagbebenta). Kasi sa EO (executive order) 62, baka, sinabihan naman si presidente na um-oo ang ating mga mang-uuma, na pumayag ang fisherfolk, ang agricultural sector, when in fact, they never were consulted,” the senator said.

(I heared that the prices went down to 20 pesos, 29 pesos, 49 pesos. But, please, I still have not seen (people selling at those prices). This is because EO (executive order) 62, perhaps, the President was told that the farmers already agreed, that the fisherfolk also already agreed, the agricultural sector, when in fact, they were never consulted.)

President Marcos issued EO 62 last June 29, ‘which acknowledges the need for a new multi-year and comprehensive tariff schedule that will provide transparent and predictable tariff structure.’

According to the Presidential Communications Office, ‘the EO ordered the modification of nomenclature and tariff rates on various products to ensure continuous supply of goods and to protect the purchasing power of the Filipino people.’

Subsequent to Senator Marcos questioning the basis of the EO No. 62, she said that her concern was the “sudden and drastic reduction of the tariff from 35 percent to 15 percent.”

“[It] is not a real solution and could actually backfire making prices even higher and extending an emergency measure such as that all the way to 2028, para naman tayong nag su-suicide. Talaga naman na parang sinuko na natin ang ating mga farmers (it seems that we are like committing suicide. It is really true that we are giving up on our farmers.),” the senator said.

Should that be the case, the senator said it would be better to “surrender” and “import” rice from other countries given that the country was already importing rice from Vietnam, Thailand, and India, among others.

However, she said that the downside of these countries was that since they knew that the Philippines was in need of rice, then the foreign countries would tend to increase the prices of their products.

“It’s very obvious that they’re doing that,” Senator Marcos said.

“Ang ibig kong sabihin, you keep lowering the tariff, ang presyo naman, pataas nang pataas. This hasn’t worked before. What makes us think it’s gonna work now?,” she said.

(What I’m trying to say is that you keep lowering the tariff, and the prices will also, go higher and higher. This hasn’t worked before. What makes us think that it’s gonna work now?)

Sen. Marcos said that she would want to hear President Bongbong tackle “developmental approach” to this problem as well as his efforts to encourage the Filipinos to buy local products.

She also hopes the President would encourage the locals to improve seed production, discover the combinations of technology (its capabilities) for water and fertilizer, and develop the country’s irrigation system.

“Of course this is middle and long-term (solution) but even if we import, sana bawasan naman natin ang importation (we hope that our importation will be lessened),” she said.

“I’d like to hear a real program for rice. Secondly, I’d like to hear a coherent plan for the de-escalations of tensions in the West Philippine Sea. We cannot afford even more tensions with a hungry people,” she added.

Marcos was in Cebu to attend the opening of the National Schools Press Conference held in Carcar City and the National Festival of Talents in the City of Naga.