Shared email from Rex Navarro sharing a link to Gabriel Cardinoza's news piece, "Farmers Troop To NFA As Palay Prices Drop" (08 May 2019, Inquirer.Net, newsinfo.inquirer.net). There, Mr Cardinoza quotes Oftociano Manalo, former president of the Pangasinan Federation of Irrigators' Association, saying:
"Farmers will all die soon. We will no longer get out of poverty because of our loans."
And why is that? The Rice Tariffication Law, RA 11203, signed by Du30 last February, "opened the country to unimpeded importation of cheap rice that has been flooding the local market."
Differently, I'm not blaming Du30 – I'm blaming his Secretary of Agriculture for not coming to the rescue of our rice farmers!
I'm not blaming Senator Cynthia Villar either – we have to follow the World Trade Organization and pass that law. (image above from freefarm.org)
In his Manila Times columns, former Secretary of Agriculture William Dar has been recommending steps to save our rice farmers from the scarification of tariffication.
I speak for myself. In my blog Journalism for Development, I have singlehandedly written 23 essays about RA 11203 and how best we can help our farmers (count them now)!
"Rice Tariffication For Businessmen, Price Scarification For Farmers," 19February, blogspot.com
"PH RA 11203 – Rescuing Agriculture 11th Hour By 2 Agencies In 3 Steps," 20February, blogspot.com
"With Rice Tarrification: World Trade Okay, Filipino Farmers Fucked?" 21February, blogspot.com
"PH Rice Tariffication & Palayabangan – Rice Boosting Or Boasting?" 21February, blogspot.com
"InangLupa Movement – In PH Agriculture, Competitiveness Is Key," 22February, blogspot.com
"RA 11203 – We Need The Rice Fund Now, Today!," 23February, blogspot.com
"Solita Collas-Monsod, How Could You? Thank You, Manny Piñol!" 23February, blogspot.com
"Good Seeds, Good Science, Bad System – PH Rice Today!" 01March, blogspot.com
"PH Rice: Competitiveness Is #1 Priority; Collective Action Is Urgent!" 02March, blogspot.com
"Why RA 11203 Is Dangerous To Rice Farmers And What PhilRice Can Do About It," 04March, blogspot.com
"With/Out Government Support, PH Farmers Can Become Competitive With Organic SRI," 06March, blogspot.com
"PhilRice, How About Listening To The Ladies & Making Filipino Farmers Much Happier?" 07March, blogspot.com
"Changing Farmers, The Price Of Rice & Asean Competitiveness," 09March, blogspot.com
"PH Finance Dept – RA 11203 Supports Farmers & Cooperatives! Farmers Say: "But Not What We Need!"09March, blogspot.com
"PH Rice Tariffication Law – Billions For Buildup, But Not One Cent For Business!" 10March, blogspot.com
"Win! Kunana," 12March, blogspot.com
"Vs RA 11203 – Where Is PhilRice's Palayabangan Boosting_Boasting?" 13March, blogspot.com
"Hybrid Rice & Palayabangan & PH Rice Farmers' Asean Competitiveness," 13March, blogspot.com
"Multiplier Palayabangan – I Challenge Senatorial Candidates To Act Against RA 11203," 15March, blogspot.com
"PH Farms Suffering Billions From El Niño Because "We Never Learn" – William Dar," 28March, blogspot.com
"PH – Growing More Rice, Growing For Less," 05April, blogspot.com
"PH Rice Tarrification & The New WEN Journalism," 07April, blogspot.com
"We Are Not Rallying Behind Our Rice Farmers! – William Dar," 12April, blogspot.com
Within 53 days, I wrote 23 intellectual pleadings for the Department of Agriculture, DA, to help rice farmers lower their cost of production from P12 to P6 – to no avail. It seems to me the DA is listening only to its own voices!517
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