Mar Roxas calls for break from bickering, offers suggestions to lower rice prices

Former senator and Cabinet official Mar Roxas on Monday called for a break from political bickering as he asked President Rodrigo Duterte to consider his suggestions that could help lower the price of rice in the market.

“Dear President Duterte: Matindi ang problema ng P50+/kg na bigas, at magiging mas matindi pa ito dahil sa damage ni Ompong. Magkaiba paningin natin sa maraming bagay pero sa tingin ko lahat ng Pilipino gustong malutas ang problemang ito. Kaya time out muna,” Roxas said in a Facebook post.

He said that only a massive and immediate additional supply of rice can bring down prices to affordable levels, and said that the President can instruct that the Minimum Access Volume be increased to 1.5 million metric tons from 805,200 metric tons.

He further said the private sector should be allowed to import rice.

“Remove the usual bs imposed by NFA so as to allow any and all in the private sector to import rice,” he said.

Roxas, a former trade and industry secretary, said the President can also proactively ask fastfood chains Jollibee, McDonald’s and Mang Inasal; malls such as SM; grocery and supermarket chains; and other large users to independently source and import their own needs.

“Para hindi na sila makihati pa sa national stockpile,” he said.

He said that such action would, in the short term, provide "a definite physical buffer, put a definite time frame for when supply tightness will end, and induce hoarders to release their stocks bago maiipit sila."

“Meanwhile, to ease the farmers’ plight, also consider adding all farmer families to the CCT [conditional  cash transfer] program,” he said.

Roxas, an economist, said that a medium-term solution would be for the government to take additional steps such as the repeal of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law as it pertains to fuel and other basic commodities; and the promotion of industrialized farming “so we increase capital investment (capex, technology, economies of scale) in agriculture.”

The former senator, a past standard bearer of the Liberal Party, lost to Duterte in the 2016 presidential elections. — BM, GMA News