MANILA, Philipines – Nilinaw ng Department of Agriculture (DA) nitong Sabado, Enero 18 na walang shortage sa suplay ng bigas sa kabila ng planong ideklara ang food security emergency.
“We just would like reiterate: There is no shortage in the supply of rice in the country,” giit ni DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa sa isang forum.
Sinabi niya na sa Republic Act 12078, na nag-amyenda sa Rice Tariffication Law, tinukoy ang dalawang pangunahing grounds para magdeklara ang DA Secretary ng food security emergency: Una ay ang shortage sa supply at kakaibang pagtaas sa presyo ng bigas.
“The first main basis, lack of supply, it does not exist because we have a lot of supply. So, the only basis is your extraordinary increase in price,” paliwanag ni De Mesa.
“We know that many initiatives have been taken by the government, the DA and the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), to lower the price. First of all, the imposition of EO (Executive Order) 62 which reduces the tariff from 35 percent to 15 percent, there is also our program in Kadiwa and what else has been mentioned by our President. Despite all of these, rice prices remain elevated although we feel a decrease, but not to the level that we are expecting it to decrease,” dagdag pa niya.
Nauna nang sinabi ni Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. na ang DA ay magdedeklara ng “food security emergency for rice” bago matapos ang Enero para tugunan ang tumataas na retail prices ng bigas.
Ito ay kasunod ng pag-apruba ng National Price Coordinating Council sa resolusyon na humihimok sa DA na magdeklara ng emergency dahil sa patuloy na pagiging mataas ng presyo ng bigas sa kabila ng pagbaba ng global rice costs at tariff reductions na ipinag-utos ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. RNT/JGC