What’s the real
score on rice?

What? Two days after their conviction, their own officers are already talking about pardon? How do the prosecutors, and even the judge feel about this? But this is not just loose talk, yesterday’s papers reported that the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces himself had said that the nine junior officers who were found guilty of coup d’etat charges after several years of hearings, could be pardoned by the President.

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One wonders why they had to go through all that drama of the trial with all the hearings that went on for so long, costing a lot in government funds and creating so much anguish and worry among the families of those involved. Maybe AFP Chief Hermogenes Esperon, who is supposed to retire on May 9 (cross your fingers, he seems to have made himself indispensable to the President), wants to leave good memories with his men. Anyway, it seems the only ones really feared by the administration among the plotters are Gen. Felipe Miranda and, of course, the one who became a Senator, Antonio Trillanes. The others are, as the late Bishop Antonio Fortich used to say, “only mosquitoes”.

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What really is the truth about the rice situation in the country? Is there a shortage or is the perception of one only contrived? Why are we getting so many mixed signals about rice these days? Both the President and the Agriculture secretary keep on stressing that there is enough rice in the country. Then reports come out about the release of millions or billions for the purchase of rice. Then we hear about the expected arrival of thousands of sacks of the commodity from other countries. Then we also hear that even the United States is going to bring over rice to tide us over.

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And now comes the voluble Secretary of Justice solemnly announcing that the President can declare a state of emergency for rice and corn if she wants to. What does that mean? Under such state, will the government confiscate all available supply and be the one to distribute or release it, as well as corn? I hear that even corn-consumers in the country have shifted to rice because shipments of rice are reported, but none of corn.

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Also yesterday, a news headline said that the National Food Authority is planning to raise the selling price of rice. Another report said that the government is shelling out $1.3 billion in order to rein in the price of rice. What do we make of that? And here’s another one: A Philippine Star headline said yesterday that “NFA lost P2 B selling rice to private traders – COA”. Now, that is the Commission on Audit talking about the selling of rice from Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan to obviously favored traders at “subsidized” prices.

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Let’s hope the COA does not backtrack and later invoke “executive privilege” if or when the Senate again raises a hown and summons its officials. I am sure the senators are now preparing to pounce on this revelation, but I am not sure that they will get anywhere. As for Malacañang, expect such pronouncements from its spokespersons as the usual: “Heads will roll”, the culprits will be meted “the full force of the law”, the investigation will be “no holds barred”, or “show proof of fund misuse”, etcetera, etcetera, and so forth and so on.

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So it’s rice, rice, rice now and who is talking or thinking about the ZTE-NBN scam or the multi-billion swine affair, and even the Diwal-wal mining deal, also with the ZTE? And who cares how many casinos they will put up in Metro Manila, and what if Korean businessmen have desecrated hallowed ground in Subic by putting up their high-rise and high-priced condos there? What is important, and what people want, said the President, is “to have food on their table”. They won’t mind where it comes from and what it costs, just let them eat, she means. In the meantime, send the solons to South Africa where they will be entertained by the problems of people there and forget, albeit momentarily, the raging controversies here.*

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