Farmers’ group says P5k help ‘alms to dying class’

National farmers group Kilusan Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan (Katarungan), said the P5,000 cash assistance to farmers was like “limos” or alms. DELFIN T. MALLARI JR./INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON

LUCENA CITY –– The farmers’ group Kilusan Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan (Katarungan) called the government’s P5,000-emergency cash assistance to rice farmers as “limos” or alms to a dying class of Philippine society.

Danny Carranza, secretary-general of Katarungan, said the government’s decision to distribute P5,000 to rice farmers who were hit by the plummeting of palay price following the implementation of the rice tariffication law was “akin to band-aid solution that does not address the root causes of rice farmers.”

Last week, Agriculture Secretary William Dar announced that the government has decided to distribute P5,000 in cash assistance to rice farmers who continue to reel from plummeting palay prices following the implementation of the rice tariffication law.

“The cash assistance is like an alm, or in plain Filipino language, “limos” to a dying class,” Carranza said.

He said the amount is not even enough for a four-month supply of rice, “which is a painful irony for food producers.”

Carranza reiterated their demand for the suspension or repeal of the implementation of the rice tariffication law./lzb