ANGELES CITY- The recent United States Department of Agriculture’s report that the country would outpace China and become the world’s biggest rice importer this year has already elicited 50,0000 signatures as of yesterday in a petition seeking to repeal the Rice Liberalization Law.
“As the world’s top rice importer this year, poor farmers, consumers and various sectors submitted today 50,000 signatures for the ‘Petisyon ng Mamamayan para Ibasura ang Republic Act RA 11203 Rice Liberalization Law’ for submission to House Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano and Committee on Agriculture and Food chairperson Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga,” said the consumer group Bantay Bigas in a statement yesterday.
The petition was initiated by Bantay Bigas, Amihan or the National Federation of Peasant Women, Anakpawis Partylist, Gabriela Women’s Party, National Food Authority Employees Association, and Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson-Nueva Ecija.
Bantay Bigas spokesperson Cathy Estavillo said “signatures were gathered in the top rice producing provinces including Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Iloilo, Camarines Sur, Tarlac and Leyte and other provinces in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao as well as in Metro Manila.”
She named no less than 15 organizations of farmers ,fishermen, women, urban poor, consumers, and workers which backed the petition.
“The call of the farmers, consumers and ordinary citizens is very clear. In a short time, we were able to gather 50,000 signatures of people who have remained hopeful that Congress would listen to the Filipino people, especially the farmers who have been seriously dislocated by the rice liberalization law,” Estavillo said.
She noted that a bill pushing for the repeal of RA 11203 or HB 476 has already been filed in the Congress as authored by Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas.
“More than seven months have passed after the law’s implementation, farmers have become bankrupt in the two cropping seasons yet the Duterte government has only provided P15,000 loan each for farmers owning one hectare of land below and a commitment to give P5,000 worth of ‘cash gift’ this December. The government is treating farmers like beggars,” she lamented.
Bantay Bigas blamed the Duterte government for “blindly following its commitment to the World Trade Organization- Agreement on Agriculture at the expense of the country’s food security and self-sufficiency.”
“Being the world’s number one rice importer is not something to be proud of. It is ironic for an agricultural country and an insult to local rice farmers. This is a manifestation of a rice industry abandoned by its very own government by implementing neoliberal policies,” the group said.
The bill, filed by Makabayan lawmakers, include production support program thru socialized credit, farm inputs and machinery, accelerated infrastructure development including irrigation and post-harvest facilities, and research and development as its core programs with a budget allocation of P185 billion for its threeyear implementation. The bill also proposed a P310 billion budget for National Food Authority for palay procurement to stabilize farmgate price and retail prices.
“We urge various farmer organizations, consumer groups and other rice stakeholders for an unwavering commitment to defend the Philippine rice industry by raging against Rice Liberalization Law, and attain genuine food security and self-sufficiency via RIDA,” Estavillo also said.
