Amid Marcos’ rice price ceiling order, solon says PH must be self-sufficient

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker sees nothing wrong with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 39 placing a price ceiling on rice grains, but he reiterated his call for measures that would push the country towards rice self-sufficiency.

In a statement on Friday, Agri party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee said placing a P41 to P45 per kilogram price ceiling on rice products is a “drastic intervention” to help consumers, but long-term solutions to address local grain supply constraints should be implemented.

“Tulad ng nauna nating panawagan, kailangan din natin ng sustainable o pangmatagalang mga solusyon tulad ng agarang pamamahagi at pagdaragdag ng post-harvest facilities sa ating mga magsasaka,” Lee said.

(Just like our earlier call, we need a sustainable or long-term solution like the immediate provision and increase in post-harvest facilities for our farmers.)

“At ang isinusulong natin na pagpapalakas sa anti-agri smuggling law, para bukod sa mga smugglers, ay mapanagot din natin ang mga hoarders, price manipulators at mga kasabwat sa gobyerno na dahilan ng pagsipa ng presyo ng agri products tulad ng bigas,” he added.

(We would also want the strengthening of the anti-agri smuggling law so that aside from smugglers, we can also hold hoarders, price manipulators, and conspirators in government accountable for the spike in price of agri products like rice.)

Lee also said that if enacted, House Bill No. 9020 or the proposed Cheaper Rice Act which he filed would provide subsidies that would keep rice prices low while boosting farmers’ production.

“Inihain din natin ang ating panukalang Cheaper Rice Act, na layuning maglaan ang gobyerno ng pondo para sa subsidiya sa pagbili ng palay sa halaga na sigurado ang kita ng mga magsasaka. Ang mabibili namang produkto mula sa kanila ay ibebenta sa consumers sa mas murang presyo,” Lee explained.

(We also filed a Cheaper Rice Act, which seeks to mandate the government to set aside funding for subsidies that would be used to buy palay at a price where farmers would earn.  And then, the palay purchased from them would be passed on to consumers at a lower price.)

“Kapag nasiguro natin na kumikita ang mga magsasaka, mas maeengganyo silang magpatuloy sa pagsasaka at pataasin pa ang kanilang produksyon, na bukod sa makakatulong sa ating food security, ay magpapababa rin sa presyo ng bilihin,” he added.

(If we ensure that farmers earn, they would be encouraged to continue farming and even increase their production, which aside from helping our food security issues, would also bring down the prices of goods.)

Marcos on Thursday signed EO No. 39 which placed a price ceiling of P41 to P45 per kilogram of rice.  According to Malacañang, the price cap was placed due to the following factors:

• Illegal price manipulations like hoarding and industry collusion
• Global events outside the country’s control, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict
• India’s rice export ban
• Capricious oil prices in the international market

While several House members led by Speaker Martin Romualdez lauded the President’s move, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc expressed concerns about the price cap, as it might put the burden on small retailers who have no control of rice production costs.

Lee too believes that Marcos’ order must be monitored to ensure its effectiveness as it may lead to retailers closing shop, and eventually making rice difficult to find.

“Pero dapat maiging bantayan ng gobyerno ang pagpapatupad nito dahil maaaring magresulta ito sa pagbaba o mas limitadong supply sa merkado. Pwedeng magdalawang-isip ang pribadong sektor na magbenta na kakaunti o hindi sila kikita. Mahirap naman na mas mura nga, pero pahirapan naman ang pagbili,” he added.

(But the government should monitor its implementation as it may result to a lower supply in the market.  Traders in the private sector may hesitate to sell rice or they might sell it in low amounts because they would not earn much. We might have a case where rice is cheap, but it is hard to find.)

READ: ‘Moderate your greed:’ Stop rice hoarding, release stocks, Romualdez tells traders

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