By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
During the inauguration of President BBM in June, 2022, he said: ”Pangarap ko na maibaba ang presyo ng bigas sa P20-P30/kg (from more than P45 which was then the prevailing price when he took office). It was a dream, not even a promise.
PBBM was liberally criticized on every turn when the price of rice even rose higher up to end of 2024. Come the first quarter of 2025, a National Food Emergency Crisis was declared, somehow stabilizing the local rice supply and resulting to a little decrease in rice cost.
Before the elections, the administration provided a ray of hope for the less fortunate when it notified the public that rice will become available at P20.00/kg in selected locations. The biased machinery of a self-appointed opposition wheeled into motion. The rice to be sold for such a price, according to them, is fit only for the animals. That came even without seeing the rice to be sold.
That is not how a real opposition works. That is more like a directed bullet fired to destroy a good program that will benefit the people. There is no iota of a possible critical cooperation, which is associated with a legitimate opposition.
The selling of the low-priced rice started just after the mid-term elections, beginning in Cebu where the administration’s gubernatorial candidate was defeated.
Some people threw another spear when they said,” it is not sustainable”. Further forcing the issue, they incredulously insisted that, “why only now”.
In the first PBBM podcast, with Anthony Taberna (Ka Tunying) as host-interrogator, PBBM explained that they studied the issue and came to the conclusion that it was not possible during his early year of his administration because of short supply or low production.
Rice production, according to PBBM, hit the highest national production level ever in 2023 and even topped by the 2024 harvest. Both claims are supported by PSA statistics. The government also raided bodegas hoarding rice. These developments enabled the government to sell rice at P20.00/kg per the president.
PBBM clearly admitted that there was rice smuggling. I am wondering what happens or is happening to those smugglers? If nothing is done about them, then it is possible that the question of sustainability of the present pricing will dog the government no end.
Besides, the present price is subsidized by the government. How long can the government do this without sacrificing other equally important concerns such as additional budget to improve education, security, health concerns, and others?
As things stand at present, only a small percentage of the population is benefitting from the low-priced rice. How about the clamor that such subsidized rice be available to all? If this is not properly addressed then, some unanticipated social problems could arise.
In the podcast, the president was talking of several irrigation facilities, built by his government to help farmers produce more and earn more. I personally witnessed a dam in the town of Calinog, Iloilo built by the Koreans that is to be opened this year. It will irrigate farms in 21 municipalities of the province. Similar facilities are also waiting to become fully operational sooner than immediately.
The continuing distribution of machineries to farmers, as I recently witnessed in BARMM, other parts of Mindanao and in the Visayas, we should be expecting production levels way, way over our own demand. Definitely, these facilities and equipment will play important roles for our food security especially for rice and corn. They could certainly help deter rice smuggling.
If no abnormal calamities occur and production fails, it is safe to say that governance fails. Somebody has to be made accountable.
Compared to most regions, CAR produces little volume of rice but is enough to feed its population. The current status of agricultural modernization, coupled with the use of available and fitting production technologies should propel not only CAR but also most other regions in the Philippines, beyond actual local demand. But the way things are being run at the moment, could this be just a wistful thinking? **
