VOLUME XIII ISSUE NO. 6
VANGUARD OF TRUTH
AUGUST - DECEMBER 2019
PROBE. WRITE. EXPRESS
The Official Student Publication of Bicol University College of Business, Economics, and Management
RESTLESS FARMER. Alvin Reblando, a farmer from Talongong, Oas, Albay harvests palay under the scorching sun on January 12, 2020, a Sunday, which is supposed to be a rest day. The 45-year-old farmer owns a two-hectare rice field at Calzada of the same town where he takes advantage of dry palay selling at P14 against P12 for average production. (Photo by Solomon Mig S. Bustamante)
Rice tariff law aftermath
Local farmers resort to retailing for larger profits By Charmaine Hannah B.Torrecampo
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onths after suffering from the serious impact brought by the enactment of Rice Tariffication Law on March 5, 2019, affected farmers in the province shifted to retailing of rice to sustain their families. Republic Act 11203 was recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte allowing liberalization of rice imports and permitting traders to import a near-unlimited quantity of rice. This move addresses the urgent need to reduce rice prices in the market, improve the availability of supply of rice and stabilizes inflation rate in the country. However, local farmers carry the burden and are the most affected in result to the entry of foreign competitors. “Lugion talaga. Nag- ani akong 100 sako sa one hectare, an presyo kada kilo 13.50 sana. Kada sako mga Php 600 makukua. Ata garu kami naglana ki lago,” Amadeo Bibon, a farmer in Bacacay said. He also added that the labor cost, expensive fertilizers, pesticides and other overhead expenses merely equal to their sales even though he owned the land as well as some equipment and
tools needed. “Su gibo ko ngunyan pinabakal ko gabos kong paroy buda binakal ko ki bigas, iyo an igpabakal ko. Dae na ako nagbalad ta mapagalon. Mas makakadelinsya kun pabakalon bagas na,” Bibon further stated how he retailed rice to gain more profit than selling his palay at a very low price. On the part of Jose and Emilia Berido who do not own the land being cultivated, their expenses are lesser and instead of selling palay, they chose to have the palay milled which took them a longer process. “Igbalad mi na sana buda kami naman nagretail kan bagas ta mas may delinsya”, Emilia shared. Bibon had been given assistance by the government
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Su gibo ko ngunyan pinabakal ko gabos kong paroy buda binakal ko ki bigas, iyo an igpabakal ko. Amadeo Bibon, Farmer Bacacay, Albay
DOLE TUPAD Wish Granted for Displaced and Disadvantaged Workers in Bicol
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BIZ TALK. One of the guest speakers, Prof. Franklin T. Agamata, President of CERTS Educational Services Inc., from Davao City, discussing the relevance of accountancy to entrepreneurial activities towards nation building during the 5th Students and Educator’s Summit at BUCENG Gymnasium on October 4, 2019. (Photo by Precious Joy A. Deuda)
8/10 CBEMians oppose SOGIE Bill By Mannylyn V. Cullon
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eventy-nine (79) percent of students of BUCBEM think that the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Bill also known as the SOGIE bill should not be approved as a law. Among the 100 respondents, 21 support the
proposed legislation while the remaining 79 stand otherwise. Those who answered ‘yes’ to the question “Do you think that SOGIE Bill should be passed as a law?” expressed their agreement on
8/10 CBEMians / page 2»
INSIDE FEATURES
If you happened to pass by a group of workers in complete uniform – green long-sleeves shirt with, a native buri hat, dust mask, rubber boots and hand mask – then you have already come across the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD) beneficiaries.
DEVCOMM
in the form of rice seeds while the Beridos refuse to receive the seeds due to quality which they consider unsatisfactory. “Dae na nagkua si agom kaito ta naaraman na maluya su tambo. Su aki ko nagkuha sa munispiyo kaso grabe daa kayang bulong, dapat hugasan ki maray bago ito idadapog,” she added. Stated in RA 11203 that a PhP 10 billion annual assistance to farmers nationwide called the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) will be given for the next six years. Of the entire fund, 50% is allocated for the implementation of Rice F a rm Ma chi ne r i e s a nd Equipment by the Philippine Ce nte r f o r P o st ha rv e st Developm ent a nd Mechanization (PHilMech) component; 30% is for the development, propagation and promotion of inbred rice seeds to be implemented by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice); 10% for the expanded rice credit assistance and the remaining 10% is allocated for extension services. Farmers and farmworkers listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and rice cooperatives accredited by the Department of Agriculture are expected to be given support.
GRASSHOPPER
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ANINAG SA KWENTO NG ISANG BULAG
No seller with a sound mind would offer his goods for a price lower than his input. That is, unless, you are a Filipino rice farmer trying to recover at least some part of your capital after such a brutal drop in farmgate prices.
EDITORIAL
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