Speaker wants task force vs. profiteers, hoarders amid rice price rise

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday said the House of Representatives will go after hoarders and profiteers amid continued rise in rice prices, while a congressman said price manipulation should be considered a heinous crime. 

“QuintaComm will push forward because talagang napaka importante ang food security [food security is very important]. Food security is national security. And there is no place for profiteers, smugglers, hoarders, or those opportunists. The President already brought down tariff rates, ang dami-dami ng supply [ng bigas], pero bakit mataas pa rin ng presyo? That is what we are trying to ferret out. Sa mga profiteers diyan, unscrupulous traders, wholesalers, retailers, bantay kayo, because the QuintaComm will go after you,” Romualdez told reporters in a chance interview.

(The President already brought down tariff rates, there is so much supply of rice, so why are the prices still high? That is what we are trying to ferret out. To the profiteers, unscrupulous traders, wholesalers, retailers, watch out, because the QuintaComm will go after you.)

The House Quinta Committee—also called the Murang Pagkain Super Committee, consisting of the Ways and Means, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Food, and Social Services committees, as well as the Special Committee on Food Security—has conducted several hearings on issues connected to the high prices of food and food security.

Rice prices have continued to spike, amid tariff rates for imported rice being brought down from 35% to 15% this year in a bid to increase rice supply and bring down rice prices.

Heinous crime

Zambales 1st District Representative Jefferson Khonghun, meanwhile, proposed that price manipulation of food be considered a heinous crime.

“Kailangan nga i-consider yung price manipulation as a heinous crime. Kailangan talaga. Marami tayong mga kababayang mahihirap na naaapektuhan ng mga nagsasamantala na mga negosyante, lalong-lalo na sa presyo ng bigas,” Khonghun, a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, said in a press conference, also on Monday.

(Price manipulation needs to be considered a heinous crime. So many poor Filipinos are affected by traders who take advantage, especially the price of rice.)

Khonghun and other congressmen also backed Romualdez's call for the creation of a government mega task force to go after price manipulators and unscrupulous traders.

“Tama naman yung sinabi ni Speaker Martin. And if it’s created, itong mega task force na ito para habulin ang mga smuggler, nag-iipit ng mga presyo, parang cartel na nga po ito,” La Union 1st District Representative Francisco Paolo Ortega said.

(The Speaker is right. The mega task force, if created, would go after smugglers and price manipulators who are already like cartels.)

“Nakakailang hearing pa lang ang QuintaComm, kita na natin yung extent ng manipulation, ng disparity ng presyo, ng supply, lalo na ng bigas. Wala tayong kakulangan sa supply, maayos ang importation natin, pero hindi bumababa ang presyo,” Tingog Partylist Representative Jude Acidre said.

“I think the call of the speaker is not only timely but it’s urgent. Kailangan talaga nating panagutin kasi habang wala tayong nakikita na nananagot ay patuloy na siguro people will take advantage of the situation,” Acidre added.

(After only a few QuintaComm hearings, we already see the extent of the manipulation, the disparity in prices and supply, especially of rice. We don't have a lack of supply, importation is proper, but prices are not going down. We need those doing this to answer for this because until they do they will continue to take advantage of the situation.)

Bureau of Plant Industry

During the previous Murang Pagkain Super Committee probe, House Deputy Speaker Jayjay Suarez called out the Bureau of Plant Industry for issuing import permits without exercising due diligence, given that the top two rice importers are under the same owner.

The top rice importers based on government records include: Bly Agri Venture Trading, Atara Marketing Inc., Orison Free Enterprise Inc., Macman Rice and Corn Trading, King B Company, Sodatrade Corp., Lucky Buy and Sell, Vitram Marketing Inc., Nan Stu Agri Traders and RBS Universal Grains Traders Corp.

Further, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed related directorships between RBS Universal Grains Trader Corp. and Sodatrade Corp.

Also on Monday, Romualdez also said Congress will also work on bringing down power cost after going after manipulators of rice prices.

“We will not stop there [on going after hoarders]. Mind you, once we solve that, or at least we get into the process of bringing down the prices of basic commodities, we will look at other basic needs of people like [bringing down] energy cost, [cost of] water,” he said.

“We will look at very basic needs of the people because we are the House of the people, on how we can improve the lives of Filipinos who are not perhaps as lucky as many of us here. That is our mission, [and]m that is the mission of the President,” he added. — BM, GMA Integrated News