Sotto claps back: Fund rice subsidy for people or lose it to corruption?

Former Senate President Vicente `Tito’ Sotto III in file photo.

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan—Former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has asked critics of the government’s latest P20-per-kilogram rice initiative whether they want funds for this project to benefit people or go to the pockets of corrupt officials instead.

During the press briefing at the CSI Stadia on Friday, Sotto and other senatorial candidates from the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate were asked about criticisms of the rice subsidy program, particularly from Vice President Sara Duterte, who said that the initiative is too late and reeks of electioneering.

“There’s a saying that it’s better late than never, right?  And maybe they failed to figure this out immediately,” said Sotto in mixture of Filipino and English. “As I said earlier, there were concerns about the government shouldering subsidies for rice.  So what?  That should be the case, because that’s taxpayers’ money, it should be consumed by the people also.”

READ: Romualdez: Gov’t can shift from cash aid to rice subsidies

“Instead of being given to the corrupt individuals, right?  Where do they want the funds to go, to the pockets of corrupt officials?  Let us give that subsidy to our people so that they would not go hungry and to reduce prices of goods,” he added.

When asked about Duterte’s claim that the timing of the initiative, which will be initiated in Visayas, stems from the Alyansa’s supposed low numbers in the area, Sotto said he enjoys good support from Visayas since Cebu is his home province.

Strong in Visayas

“I know I’m strong in Visayas, I’m from that area eh,” Sotto said.

“That’s always the case, whatever timing it is, even if you announce that last year she will still say it’s connected to the elections.  That’s how it is, you will never be able to please everyone.  The important thing is you do what is right, and do it for the benefit of the people, whether it’s elections or not,” he added.

Sotto’s fellow Alyansa member and Makati Mayor Abby Binay also stressed that the government cannot tell the people to wait until the end of the elections for them to enjoy cheaper rice.

“The timing is suspicious?  Will you tell the people that ‘we’ll just give this lower-priced rice after the elections, because they might accuse us of politicking’.  That’s not how the government works,” Binay explained in Filipino.

“If you can give it now, do it.  You cannot say that we will wait for a good timing,” she added.

According to Binay, it is never too late because President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — who promised to bring down rice prices to P20 per kilogram during the 2022 elections’ campaign season — is just in his third year in office.

‘It’s only been 3 years’

“I don’t agree when we say it’s too late because the President has only been — this is a mid-year, it’s only been three years — so that’s an accomplishment already that he was able to do something in the first three years of his administration,” she said.

“You also have to remember that there are a lot of problems that are beyond the control of the President when it comes to inflation, when it comes to cost of electricity, cost of gas and diesel which are really beyond his control, and that is the reason why government has to step in with the subsidy,” she added.

Duterte in an ambush interview on Wednesday said that the administration is resorting to rice subsidies because they know that the Alyansa slate is performing bad in Visayas.

“You know that is just for the elections and for their senators who are part of their alliance to win,” she said in Filipino.

“I don’t know what their motive is.  But yes, they are tricking the people with that P20 per kilo of rice.  And you will be confused why Visayas only, aren’t the people from Luzon and Mindanao hungry also? […] Maybe they have problems with votes from Visayas,” she added.

Last Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced the availability of P20 per kilogram of rice in Visayas, adding that this development came after President Marcos held a closed-door meeting with governors from the Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas.

READ: DA will start selling rice at P20 per kilo – Tiu Laurel

To run until December

According to Laurel, the program will run until December but it may be extended until February 2026.

Earlier, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez also mentioned that the provincial government of Camiguin also successfully implemented a similar measure, where local government units (LGUs), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and local retailers partnered to make rice accessible — sold at half of usual market prices.

Under the DA program, the department in partnership with the Food Terminal Inc. and participating LGUs will shoulder the price difference between the market rate and the subsidized P20 per kilogram of rice.

In Camiguin, the cost of the rice was brought down through LGUs coordinating with DSWD and local retailers.

Due to these developments, Romualdez suggested that the government can transition from providing direct cash aid or ‘ayuda’ towards rice subsidies to qualified beneficiaries, so that the government can be assured that funds for poverty alleviation really translates into food and anti-hunger measures.