2 Trillion Pesos: Rice to feed Filipinos for the next 3 decades or cold bullets from the US?
President Marcos is sacrificing the welfare of the Filipino people for the next three decades to satisfy his desire to please his US masters whose idea it really is to “modernize” the Philippine military in the service of Washington’s Indo-Pacific pivot against its imperialist rival China.
Sa pagtindi ng kahirapan, patindihin ang paglaban
Siklo ang daranasin nating natural na delubyo subalit permanente ang kahayukan sa kapangyarihan, katiwalian at kainutilan ng mga papet na rehimen. Kaya dapat tuluy-tuloy na kumiklos ang mga magsasaka at manggagawa at ang iba pang sektor para baguhin ang sistematikong pagsasamantala at pang-aaping ito sa mamamayang Pilipino.
Farmers: BBM should leave DA as gift to Filipinos on his bday
“Rice prices did not go down to P20. It in fact rose to P50 to P60. There had been no relief to farmers and fisherfolk and importation has worsened. We hope he listens and steps down as DA secretary,” the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said.
Farmers, consumers: BBM’s rice price ceiling still too high
“For example, if the rice traders bought palay at the median price of P19 to 22 per kilo, the retail prices of palay may be more than P11 lower after drying, milling, hauling and transportation expenses are factored in,” KMP said.
Farmers warn gov’t of possible rice price manipulation schemes
“It is in the interest of consumers and the public to know if there is a syndicated price manipulation and speculation going on to justify the increase in retail prices of rice,” KMP’s Danilo Ramos said.
Farmers tell Villar: ‘Be sincere and repeal rice tarrification law’
KMP said that the rice liberalization law that Senator Villar principally authored and enacted in 2019 led to heavy income losses for rice farmers amounting to P206 billion in the past three years.
Farmers question budget cuts on irrigation and rice program equipment
“These are crucial projects, activities, and programs related to the recovery of the slumped rice and livestock sectors. Why impose these budget cuts?” former agrarian reform secretary and KMP’s long-time leader Rafael Mariano asked.
Farmers dismiss mega-farm proposal as not viable, urges lowering of prices of farm inputs instead
“Truth be told, these DAR officials are only attempting to score brownie points from Bongbong Marcos Jr to retain their government posts,” KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos said.
The ill logic of rice liberalization
We only need to see the trend of government’s agricultural support to conclude that the Duterte administration has put the sector aside in favor of other hollow and counter-productive budget items, including its infrastructure agenda.
Filipino rice farmers need support, not liberalization
The Rice Liberalization Law (RLL) is killing the rice industry. Over a year into RLL and because of unrestrained rice importation, palay prices have fallen to as low as Php8-10 per kilo. This is a huge 50% drop from the Php20 per kilo price of palay before the law was passed. Rice farmers have cumulatively lost some Php84.8 billion in earnings in the first full year of implementation or around Php35,328 per rice farmer. Earnings are not enough to pay for the cost of production.