Janette Toral posted a call for a discussion of issues relevant to the 2010 Philippine presidential elections, tagging a lot of bloggers in the process.

Instead of one post, I will make a series of post about this topic, and it will be an issue or two per post, hopefully. For every post, I will state an issue, explain why it should be an issue, and share my thoughts on the issue.

In this post, let me tackle something that is close to every Filipino’s heart (or stomach): rice.

In a previous post, I noted the Agriculture Secretary’s call to restaurants and fast food chain stores to reduce their serving of rice, yet the official stance of this regime is that there is no rice crisis nor shortage. However, Arthur Yap’s call, and the fact that Gloria Arroyo had to begask Vietnam for a guaranteed supply of rice speak otherwise.

Your grandparents (or maybe your parents) might have told you once or twice that the Philippines used to be a net exporter of rice. You might have heard an old citizen lament about the current situation. Now that we have become a net importer of rice, we are now dependent on the vagaries of the world rice market, and a contraction in rice supply worldwide affects this country greatly.

The Philippines remains an agricultural country. The fact that we are facing a shortage in the supply of rice is ironic. How have we come to this state?

The agrarian reform situation is a failure. The Sumilao case is a good example (though it seems a compromise has been reached). Also, some beneficiaries had sold their land due to debts incurred in tilling the land – of course, farmers had to buy seeds and fertilizers. The unabated land conversion is another problem – for local governments, conversion means more income via taxes.

Then we have the related infrastructure problems. For farming to be productive, good irrigation is a must. The same can be said for post-harvest facilities – including grain warehouses, modern farming equipment, and farm-to-market roads. It is said that our level of farming is stuck to the 1940s.

For our farmers to be self-sufficient, we must make farming productive. Without the right infrastructure, and pricing their produce very low, farming will remain a losing enterprise.

Why is this an issue? Food sufficiency is important for the country. It means we will no longer be dependent on imports. It means our food supply is not dependent on world price fluctuations. Food sufficiency should be addressed immediately. All sectors involved should have a master plan, preferably legislated so that it could withstand changes in leaders.

What do you think should be done to insure food sufficiency?

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Previously:

* 2010 Philippine Elections: Important issues, 1
* 2010 Philippine Elections: Important issues, 2
* Eleksyon sa 2010: Mga mahalagang isyu, 3

The weekends saw me hearing the news on TV and radio (err.. Teleradyo) of the Secretary of Agriculture Arthur Yap calling on restaurants to serve half-rice instead of the usual fare. Heck, he even said that the State can use its police powers to enforce the half-rice directive, in case restaurants are recalcitrant.

For the first time, I am in support of a government initiative.

Yap’s idea is good. It is about time, actually. I am troubled by the increasing number of obese people nowadays, and I think serving half-rice will help in reducing obesity. We keep on hearing diatribes from dietricians and nutritionists calling on people to watch their diet, but only to see more obese people nowadays. So a government intervention might be part of the solution to the obesity problem. To be effective, not only should the serving of rice be halved, the price should be increased, too. Make it prohibitive, so that only those who can afford it can get it. This minimized the number of people who can get obese.

Second, it is about time to wean the Filipino people away from dependency on rice. We are a fast-industrializing country on the verge of attaining a first world status in 2010, and a dependency on rice is incoherent with that vision. It is about time we learn to eat Western-style. Let an overflow of imported food stuff flood the country. Seeing Toblerone, Taster’s Choice, and Frito Lays on sari-sari stores is a sign of a booming economy, a symbol of an industrializing country. Let us forget being an agricultural country; it is time to move on.

Besides, we are a net importer of rice, and it is not a good thing. That means we are dependent on rice imports to satisfy demand. It is a waste of foreign currencies, which can be invested into more important things, like a broadband project lead by a politician, or dole outs to rabid government supporters. Also, being a net importer means we are at the mercy of rice exporters, which is not good. Our mother state up north will not take such very lightly.

And so, I suggest that we establish a Half-Rice Club. The purpose of the club is two-fold: the short term goal is to reduce obesity to 10% of total population, to the upper A of the society. The medium term goal is to push forward to first world status by 2020 through veering away from being agricultural-based economy to a highly-industrialized one.

Anyone who wants to be a member, just raise their left foot. Naysayers shall be labeled as destabilizers.

This is another blow to the Arroyo regime’s dream of this country having a first-world status by 2010.

The National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB) has reported that the number of poor families have increased from the period between 2003 and 2006, from 24.4% in 2003 to 26.9%, but lower than that recorded in 2000, at 27.5%. That means 27 out of 100 families are poor, or an increase of 3.8 million poor Filipinos from 2003.

National Economic and Development Authority’s Director General, Augusto Santos (and Romulo Neri’s successor) attributed this increase to “increasing prices and/or insufficient rise in personal income.” Other contributors included the expanded Value-Added Tax (eVAT) imposed in 2005, higher oil prices, typhoons, and a population growth rate of 2%.

(NB: I think this is a good indication of eVAT’s immediate impact on Filipinos.)

Santos also believes that the 7.3% GDP recorded for last year will help alleviate poverty. Uhm. Since 2001, our GDP is increasing (so the Fortress claims), and so thus poverty incidence. It doesn’t add up. My math must be failing me (not that I am good at it).

Lorelei Fajardo, what’s your take on this one? Blame the opposition and destabilizers? Lozada? The Senate?

I remember that series of commercials with the icky tagline “ramdam mo na ba ang pag-asenso?” I wonder what 27.6 million poor Filipinos ha d felt when they saw/heard that commercial (pilosopo: syempre wala kasi di nila napanood/narinig, poor nga eh, di ba?). No wonder they are no longer airing it. (Is it in YouTube?)

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For the past few days, my mother is complaining that prices of some goods have increased. Have you experienced this? Can you itemize?

And don’t forget to vote at the poll (at the sidebar), in case you haven’t yet.

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UPDATE:

And add more blows to Gloria Arroyo’s Enchanted Kingdom:

* Peter Wallace tells everyone it is time to face the facts. And this is a strong indictment:

We have an economy today that is skewed to favor a few. The growth is not widespread and is not reaching the bulk of the people. It is an economy that is losing its middle class (it shrank in 2007). One could say that it takes time to reduce the huge inequality that exists, or that the momentum toward that is there. But after six and a half years, surely there should have been some improvement, not a worsening.

* RP poverty up due to weak tax take, corruption – ADB study Despite the eVAT, “corruption undermines tax collection, reduced resources for and quality of infrastructure development.”

The threatened remittance boycott by OFWs has the Fortress and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas bothered, reports GMA News.

Let’s give way to Lorelei Fajardo, Fortress loudspeaker and one reasons why I don’t like Fortress propaganda:

Such a call is irresponsible and tantamount to economic sabotage. Their action will not benefit anybody. It could cause a serious setback to our economic gains, bringing greater damage to their loved ones and the nation as a whole.

Huh? But you told us that the economy is on its way up? What’s US$30 million delayed a day against that ginormous 7.3% GDP rate that you are harping about? Well, what the Fortress doesn’t want every Juan to know is that our economy is being driven by OFW remittances.

Ms. Fajardo, here’s a tip: tell your Raul Gonzalez to charge each and every OFW who doesn’t send remittance with economic sabotage. Wag natin daanin sa daldal, idaan natin sa proseso, ilabas ang ebidensya. Mmmk?

OFWs, show the Fortress who’s the boss.

(LOYALISTS: If the economy is that robust as your idol claims, how come she and her people are afraid of one-day-only boycott? Surely it should not affect the economy, right? Besides, the day after the boycott OFWs will remit the money naman eh. Masyado lang paranoid ang idol nyo. So just sit back, relax, and see the lies crumble. Enjoy!)