Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged the government to come up with a comprehensive contingency plan to ensure a sufficient supply of rice and keep its price at affordable levels.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women’s party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas on Thursday called out the recent statement of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual who suggested that Filipinos should simply change their diet to adapt to the situation of increasing food prices.
Gatchalian issued the call at a recent Senate briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on the 2024 national budget.
“I would like to urge the government to seriously look into the situation because it’s not only going to affect inflation, but more importantly food on the table for our own constituents,” Gatchalian said.
Citing India’s recent announcement of halting rice exports, which could further squeeze the availability of rice supply available for the Philippines, Gatchalian stressed that the government needs to come up with a definitive contingency plan to arrest potential tightness in supply that could trigger price hikes.
This could further drive inflation higher.
He told members of the executive department’s economic team to submit to the Senate a contingency plan they have drafted.
According to Gatchalian, he was really worried that this export ban from other countries will affect the Philippines.
Specifically, he wants to find out whether the government has already secured rice supply for the near and medium term given disruptions of supply in the global market.
He added that the government’s contingency plan should also include programs to cushion the effect of typhoons and the El Nino phenomenon. An average of 20 typhoons hit the country every year. Also, the impact of El Nino is expected to peak in the country in the first quarter of next year.
The rising price of rice in the local market has prompted President Marcos to issue a warning that the government will run after hoarders and price manipulators. The average price of rice has already reached P45-50 per kilo.
“We cannot dismiss the fact that workers and farmers heavily rely on rice and other staple food items to sustain their energy levels, considering the physically demanding nature of their labor,” Brosas said.
Brosas rejected Pascual’s remark, pointing out that many Filipinos could hardly afford to eat a decent meal thrice a day, and yet were told to go on diet.
Brosas said the rising cost of rice and other basic commodities has put a strain on the budget of Filipino households. “It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the needs of the people are met, rather than shifting the burden onto the already struggling population,” she added.
As of last week, locally produced rice is sold from P34 to P60 per kg, compared to P38 to P50 a year ago, based on the Department of Agriculture’s (DA’s) price monitoring. Local well-milled rice is now priced at P38-P49 while in several public markets in Metro Manila, the price of rice per kilo starts at P50.
“Telling people to alter their diet while (the administration’s) commitment to affordable rice is unmet is insensitive,” Brosas stressed.
Brosas also appealed for the passage of House Bill 405, the Rice Industry Development Act (RIDA), which seeks a comprehensive transformation of the rice sector, backed by sufficient public investment, support, mechanisms, and infrastructure.
“The current crisis of high prices and low wages should be the government’s top concern. The government needs to prioritize providing sufficient budget to ensure food security and stop allotting more budget for corruption-prone infrastructure projects and lavish travel expenses,” Brosas emphasized.
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