Food security emergency may be declared this week —DTI exec

The National Price Coordinating Council is expected to declare a food security emergency in two days.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said this during today’s hearing of the Murang Pagkain Supercommittee in the House of Representatives.

“Kahapon, na-finalize ‘yung version. Okay na sa lahat. Kasi it’s more of the wordings lang kasi dumadaan lang sa the usual complete stuff,” DTI Assistant Secretary Agaton Uvero said.

(Yesterday, the version was finalized. It's okay with everyone. It's more of the wordings [that had to be finalized] because it goes through the usual complete stuff.)

“In two days, lalabas na ‘yan (it will be declared)?” Marikina Representative and House Committee on Agriculture and Food member Stella Quimbo asked. To which Uvero replied, “Kaya na, Mr. Chair (It can be done, Mr. Chair).”

The National Food Authority reported to the supercommittee that it currently has 761,207 bags or sacks of rice in its stock nationwide.

A total of 300,000 bags are aging stocks while the rest are regular stocks.

“'Pag walang calamities, wala tayong nire-release (When there are no calamities, we do not release any stocks),” NFA Administrator Larry Lacson explained.

“If in case ma-declare na 'yung food security emergency, we can unload our stocks na, whether it's regular stocks or the aging stocks,” he added.

Lacson said they will sell the aging stocks at P29 per kilo and the regular stocks at P38 per kilo in various Kadiwa stores and through local government units.

The issue had been the subject of the Supercommittee’s hearing two weeks ago, prompting several members of the House of Representatives to voice their frustration that the emergency has not yet been declared despite the high price of rice.

“Ang expectation kasi, given the tariff reduction, is a certain price. Pero ngayon, doble. So 'yun ang sinasabi natin. Hindi ba extraordinary ang price ngayon considering that meron tayong significant tariff reduction?” Quimbo asked.

(There is the expectation of a certain price, given the tariff reduction. But now, the price of rice is double. So that's what we are saying. Isn't it the price of rice now is extraordinary considering that we have a significant tariff reduction.)

“Huwag na kayo mag-isip. Tingnan n’yo na lang ang inflation. Nakikita ‘nyo naman na ang contribution ng rice, ang laki-laki! It’s higher than our usual 3%. Sir naman, you don’t need to have a Ph.D. to make that analysis, 'di ba, sir?” Quimbo added.

(You don't have to think much about it. Just look at the inflation. You can see that the contribution of rice prices is so big! It's higher than our usual 3%. Sir, you don't need to have a Ph.D. to make that analysis, right, sir?)

“I suggest i-review ng DA (Department of Agriculture) ang wording ng batas. Section 6, powers of DA. You have enough powers at your disposal, enough tools to address this problem. Just be creative, innovative, aggressive, dynamic. You test the limits of the powers given to you by law. The DA may sell existing NFA rice buffer,” Oriental Mindoro 1st district Representative Arnan Panaligan said. —KG, GMA Integrated News