President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday, January 17, that the government may soon declare a food emergency security to address the ongoing issue of high rice prices in the country.
In a chance interview with the media in Leyte, Marcos said that the government is awaiting a formal recommendation from the Price Coordinating Council (PCC) on the matter.
“They are still waiting for the recommendation of the Price Coordinating Council, but siguro next week matatanggap na formally ng DA (Department of Agriculture) ‘yung kanyang rekomendasyon, and the recommendation I believe is going to be to declare an emergency,” he said.
“The reason that we are doing this is, ginawa na natin lahat upang ibaba ang presyo ng bigas ngunit market is not being allowed to work properly,” Marcos added.
Republic Act 12078, which amends the Agricultural Tariffication Act, grants the Agriculture Secretary the authority to declare a food security emergency for rice in the event of a supply shortage or significant price surge.
The NFA currently holds 300,000 metric tons of rice in buffer stocks. Releasing these reserves would help alleviate congestion in warehouses and prepare for the upcoming February harvest.
Hence, the National Price Coordinating Council recently adopted a resolution recommending that the Department of Agriculture declare a “food security emergency for rice” due to the continued high prices of the commodity.
“This declaration empowers the DTI to take decisive action in protecting consumer welfare while strengthening our nation’s agricultural backbone,” DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, who chairs the NPCC, said Thursday in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel stated that declaring a “food security emergency for rice” is “justified,” citing the availability of sufficient data to back this decision. (TCSP)
