Marcos Jr’s policies worsen rice crisis

Photo from Amihan Facebook page

By DANIELA MAURICIO
Bulatlat.com

BULACAN – Various sectors gathered on January 16 at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to denounce the Marcos Jr. administration’s neoliberal policies which they said have worsened the rice crisis.

The 5th National People’s Rice Summit: People’s Manifesto Against Marcos Regime’s Policies of Worsening Rice Crisis led by farmers’ groups Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, criticized the Marcos Jr. administration for failing to deliver on its promise to lower rice prices, as well as for prioritizing rice importation over the strengthening of local agriculture. They condemned the Rice Liberalization Law for destroying the Filipino farmers’ livelihood, worsening the rice crisis, and neglecting local production.

Cathy Estavillo, secretary-general of Amihan, criticized the failure of the administration to fulfill its promise of reducing rice prices to P20 ($0.30) per kilo. “The Filipino people will never forget the blatant deception of Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., who rode on this populist promise to secure power in 2022. Almost three years later, rice prices remain exorbitantly high at P50 to P65 ($0.85 – $1.11) per kilo, while farmers suffer from the historic influx of imported rice, which reached a record 4.68 million metric tons in 2024.”

Cathy Estavillo, secretary-general of Amihan during the National People’s Rice Summit. (Photo from Amihan Facebook page)

The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced the implementation of a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of P58 ($0.99) per kilogram for imported rice, effective January 20, 2025, after consulting with other rice industry stakeholders. However, ACT Party List Rep. France Castro criticized this decision, stressing that the price is unreasonably high compared to the actual landed cost of rice (P35–39 or $0.60-0.67 per kilo). Castro said that the high MSRP could prompt vendors to raise retail prices.

Estavillo said the Rice Liberalization Law harmed the local rice industry and worsened the farmers’ plight.

A 2023 report by IBON Foundation showed a 40.3 percent drop in farmers’ income per hectare since the law was enacted in 2019.

Danilo Ramos, KMP chairperson and senatorial candidate, also criticized the government for prioritizing rice importation over strengthening local agriculture. “This government has abandoned Filipino farmers during calamities and the looming threat of El Niño. Executive Order No. 62, which slashed tariffs on imported rice, and programs like ‘Rice-for-All’ are nothing more than band-aid solutions that fail to address the root causes of the rice crisis.”

“This chronic rice crisis is an insult to the Filipino people. As an agricultural nation, it is unacceptable that the basic staple of rice has become a symbol of food insecurity and exploitation,” Ramos said. “The culprits are clear: the Rice Liberalization Law, land-use conversion policies, and the administration’s prioritization of importation over local production.”

The groups reiterated the call for genuine agrarian reform to ensure food sovereignty and security. “We must expose the Marcos regime’s betrayal of the Filipino people and its role in deepening the rice and food crisis,” Estavillo said. (RTS, DAA, RVO)