
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured on Monday that the government will continue to work to ensure food security and make food affordable to the public.
In his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Marcos said that while the Philippines harvested more than 20 million tons of palay last year, it fell short of the 16 million tons of rice required by the country.
“Kaya patuloy nating sinusuportahan ang sektor ng agrikultura, upang mapabilis, mapadali, at mapalakas ang produksyon — mula pagpunla, pag-ani at paghuli, hanggang sa pagbiyahe at pagbenta — [at] upang maiwasan din ang pagkasira ng mga produkto,” the President said in his address.
“Nitong nakalipas na taon, higit isandaang milyong kilo ng mga sari-saring binhi, suwi, at pataba ang ipinamahagi sa mga magsasaka. Namigay rin ang pamahalaan ng mahigit tatlong daang libong inahin upang ito ay maparami,” he stated.
In terms of fisheries, the government released more than 500 million fingerlings and 3,000 fishing boats, the President said. It also rehabilitated fish ports to support the industry, he added.
The government also extended technical and financial assistance to help players in the agriculture sector gain new knowledge in production and sourcing of capital.
It is also ready to provide livestock raisers with the African Swine Fever vaccine to protect farmers and raisers from future losses, the President said.
The government is also carrying out measures to stabilize prices and boost the country’s food supply. Because of compelling emergency reasons, such as illegal price manipulations by hoarders, the government was constrained to temporarily implement mandated price ceilings on rice, the President explained.
“We also extended the reduced tariff rates to facilitate the importation of rice, corn, and pork until the end of this year. Tinitiyak ko sa ating mga magsasaka at sa buong sektor ng agrikultura na ang mga ito ay pawang [pangkagipitang] solusyon lamang,” he said.
Also part of the government’s thrust to ensure food security is giving land to the landless. In the last two years, more than 130,000 land titles were handed over to agrarian reform beneficiaries, the President said.
“Tuloy-tuloy din at pinabibilis pa natin ang [paghahati-hati] ng mga collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award o ‘yung CLOA para sa mga indibidwal na benepisyaryo nito,” he said. Certificates of Condonation are being released for the condonation of more than PhP57 billion debt of around 600,000 beneficiaries.
“Bukod pa rito, naresolba rin ang mahigit pitumpung libong mga kaso patungkol sa repormang agraryo. Kasama rito ang mahigit dalawang libong kasong matagal nang nakabinbin bago pa man pumasok ang Administrasyon.”
The government also modernized customs procedures and heightened enforcement efforts, resulting in the seizure of more than PhP2.7-billion smuggled agri-fisheries products that could have entered the market and negatively influenced prices.
And to discourage rice smuggling, seized staples are given to the poor, the President said. Future seizures will undergo similar procedures, he added.
“Ganoon din ang sasapitin ng lahat ng mga ipupuslit na mga bigas. Ang ibang mga produkto naman ay ating sisirain o susunugin — bukod pa sa pagkaka-kulong [ng] mahuhuling mga salarin,” he said.
The President also vowed to implement soon the pre-border technical verification and cross-border electronic invoicing of import commodities to send a strong signal that the government means serious business.
To reduce unnecessary business costs, local government units no longer collect fees and charges from motorists transporting goods and merchandise while passing through national roads, President Marcos said as he urged LGUs to refrain from collecting similar fees for the use of local roads.
And because of the success of KADIWA Centers in providing the public with affordable goods, the KADIWA program will continue to be implemented, he said.
“Katuwang ang mga lokal na pamahalaan, dinadagdagan pa natin ang mga KADIWA sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Higit sa lahat, layunin nating gawing permanente rin, at mas madalas pa ang pagdaraos ng mga KADIWA,” Marcos said. PND