ANGELES CITY — Farmers from the country’s rice granary Nueva Ecija, and the rest of Central Luzon are “organizing by the tens of thousands” for protests moves against the Rice Liberalization Law, this time by holding a caravan to be launched Friday in Nueva Ecija all the way to Mendiola, Manila for a vigil-rally on Oct. 20.
The Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson (AMGL) said the protest caravan will be held in front of the Phil- Rice and National Food Authority (NFA) offices in Nueva Ecija to demand the procurement of harvested palay at P20 per kilo, and the repeal of the Republic Act 11203 Rice Liberalization Law.”
“The caravan contingent will arrive in Manila on Oct. 20 for a vigil, for a protest the following day to mark the anniversary of the Marcos dictatorship-era land reform program Presidential Decree 27,” AMGL said in a statement.
“Farmers from Nueva Ecija and the rest of Central Luzon are very angry over the rice law that Pres. Duterte implemented. The farmers will be in Mediola to ask him to trash the Rice Liberalization Law,” AMGL chair and Anakpawis Party-list Central Luzon regional coordinator Joseph Canlas said.
Canlas said that “rice farmers are already organizing by the tens of thousands in the province and region, and they particularly blame Sen. Cynthia Villar for pushing the RA 11203 and President Duterte for enacting it last February.”
“The lowest farm gate price of P7 per kilo was in Zaragosa town in August, as drumbeated by the Bantay Bigas rice watchdog group,” he noted.
For his part, former Anakpawis representative and Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) vice-chairperson Ariel Casilao recalled that “it was the rice farming sector from Central Luzon who staunchly opposed the enactment of the RA 11203, as they belong to the country’s rice granary.”
“During the 16th to 17th Congress, farmers from Central Luzon repeatedly expressed their opposition to the lifting of the quantitative restrictions on imported rice, and what they got was worse, the decoupling of the NFA operations or mandate,” Casilao said.
He said that Nueva Ecija farmers also “warned on the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law in the early part of 2018, as it triggered price increases of inputs in rice production, especially oil products, fertilizers and agro-chemicals.”
“All the DA is blabbering about, such as the sensationalized mechanization of rice production, giving out of loans to farmers, subsidy to local government units’ procurement of palay, and others, are all on the opposite direction of liberalization as they are obviously state intervention,” he said.
Casilao said that “on October 21 when the farmers from Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Bicol all join together to march toward the Mendiola Bridge, more sectors will pour their support, as even the petition signing (against the Rice Liberalization Law) launched by Amihan peasant women group and Bantay Bigas is gaining ground.”
“Many oppose the law, even government employees, traffic aides and others. Whenever they hear that the petition aims to keep Filipino farmers from total bankruptcy, they put their signatures. Thus, this is the broad public expression of resentment to the Rice Liberalization Law that Duterte should pay heed to. Otherwise, he should prepare himself for the people’s judgment,” he warned.
