VICIT Tales of the unsung tillers

BY TRISHA S. LINDO

The lofty dream of P20 per kilo of rice remains a dream for a country whose leader is slack and sleeping. It is a promise easier said than done by someone who has no track record in agriculture and has not even authored laws beneficial to farmers.

In his well-staged vlogs and speeches, Pres. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. puts up the bravado of a hero wanting to make the Philippines the leading agricultural resource hub in the region and in the world as he now took the portfolio as secretary of agriculture. Marcos Jr. plots his so-called “agriculture value chain” composed of research development, loans and inputs, production, postharvest processing, and distribution that he longs to strengthen in the achievement of zero hunger, affordable food prices for the Filipino mass, ensure food security and promote the industry of farming. Quite ambitious to hear, but Filipinos do not need words in times of crisis, they seek swift action from the government. He only gives solutions on the stem but not on the roots. Can one be a hero of the food heroes–farmers and fisherfolks alike–if that hero chooses to turn a blind eye to the country’s economic depression? The farmers wail for help but no one comes to their rescue. From podiums at debates to realities needing response today, Marcos Jr. is still nowhere to be found.

The recent super typhoon Karding that struck the country left 3.1 billion pesos worth of loss and damage in the agricultural sector. Traders took advantage of this onslaught by buying unhusked palay from farmers for as low as P13 per kilo, which is less than the average farmgate price. Just last October 13, it was reported that rice imports in the country hit 3