Food security emergency declaration looms: Decision seen by January 22
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) may declare a food security emergency on Wednesday, January 22, after the agency reviews the resolution from the National Price Coordinating Council which they have yet to receive.
“[A]ng sabi ni Secretary ‘pag na-receive ngayon, tuloy ang review ngayong araw hanggang bukas. So by Wednesday there will be an action from the Secretary being siya ‘yung talagang may responsibility towards declaration ng food security emergency,” DA spokesman Arnel de Mesa told reporters on Monday, January 20.
(The Secretary said that if we receive the resolution today, the review will continue from today until tomorrow. By Wednesday, the Secretary will take action, as he holds the responsibility for declaring a food security emergency)
Under the amended Rice Tariffication Law, the agriculture secretary can declare a food security emergency due to supply shortage or extraordinary increase in prices.
However, Tiu Laurel previously said that he will still consult with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. nonetheless.
Marcos said on January 17 that high prices of rice — despite tariff cuts — made the government contemplate declaring a food emergency.
The president said they have “done everything they could” to bring down prices but the market is “not being allowed to work properly.”
If the declaration of a food security emergency pushes through on Wednesday, the National Food Authority may then sell their stocks to local governments and free up overwhelmed warehouses in time for the harvest season. (READ: High rice prices, glutted warehouses may push gov’t to declare food emergency)
According to De Mesa, warehouses remain congested despite the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) regular purchase of NFA rice.
“Regular naman din ‘yung pagbili nga ng DSWD pero hindi siya nakakabili ng ganoong kadami kasi wala naman siyang bodega,” said De Mesa.
“300,000 metric tons is almost six million bags na hindi naman kayang ubusin din agad ng DSWD o ibang ahensya na namamahala sa relief efforts.”
(The DSWD regularly buys but they can’t buy that much because they don’t have warehouses. 300,000 metric tons is almost six million bags and the DSWD or other agencies manning relief efforts can’t easily dispose of that.)
The DA targets to make NFA rice available to consumers in public markets by February 1, said De Mesa. The NFA will sell at P36 per kilo of rice to local governments, which are then supposed to sell to the public with a maximum profit of P2 per kilo.
Meanwhile, the implementation of the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for imported rice in Metro Manila has started.
De Mesa noted that many public markets they monitored are compliant with the P58-MSRP, save for the Guadalupe Commercial Complex, Pasay Public Market where they saw premium imported rice sold at P59 per kilo. – Rappler.com