The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and AMIHAN National Federation of Peasant Women today said Filipinos cannot trust the Department of Agriculture’s fearless forecast that rice prices will go down by mid-October or next week. The groups, together with rice consumer network Bantay Bigas led a BLACK FRIDAY PROTEST at the Commonwealth Market this morning to protest the government’s “trial and error” ineffective efforts to address the rice price issues.

Cathy Estavillo of Amihan Women and Bantay Bigas said rice retail prices remain high in markets. She said: “Kung ordinaryong mamimili ang tatanungin, halos hindi nararamdaman ng masa ang sinasabi ng DA at mga economic managers na bumababa raw ang presyo ng bigas. Nasa lampas P50 pa rin ang kada kilo ng bigas. Kahit sabihin ng DA na ibababa sa P45 kada kilo, hindi pa rin ito abot-kaya o affordable para sa mga ordinaryong Pilipino. Ang fearless forecast namin ay magiging number one rice importer na naman ang Pilipinas dahil sa mga patakaran ng gobyernong Marcos Jr,” Estavillo said.

For its part, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) added that the Rice for All in KADIWA ng Pangulo Stores is still not widely accessible to consumers and just a “showcase” of the DA and Malacanang to make it appear that the government is addressing high rice prices. “Kahit dadagdagan ng 20 tindahan ang KADIWA, hindi pa rin ito sapat para gawing abot-kaya para sa masa ang bigas. Mas malaking bolyum ng bigas sa mga palengke ay imported na bigas na hindi naman bumaba ang presyo kahit binawasan pa ang taripa,” according to Danilo Ramos, chairperson of KMP.

The farmers’ group further said that the National Food Authority’s move to bring down its palay buying price from P27 to P23 per kilo may also affect the overall palay prices in the country. “Sa kalakhang bahagi ng bansa, mas mababa ang presyo ng palay at ito ang iniinda ng ating mga magsasaka. Napakataas ng gastos pero mababa ang bilihan ng palay kaya halos wala na silang kinikita,” Ramos added.

The farmers and consumer groups also said the decelerating inflation boasted by the national government is useless and negligible to ordinary Filipinos, especially consumers who are reeling from unending high prices of food stuff. “There is nothing to gloat about the 1.9 percent overall inflation in September. All year round under the Marcos Jr administration, rice and food prices remain high. The four consecutive weeks of oil price hike will soon take a toll on prices and the economic livelihood of consumers,” according to KMP.

KMP, AMIHAN, Bantay Bigas also shunned the amendments of the Rice Liberalization Law or RA 11203 as they assert the junking of the law which led to the devastation of the domestic rice industry. They said programs for genuine agrarian reform and rice industry development are imperative to address the lingering woes of the rice industry.

#BuwanNgMagbubukid2024