Senior Deputy Minority House Leader Roilo Golez (Parañaque City, 2nd District) yesterday said Malacañang should stop sending mixed signals on the country’s rice situation, and review its biofuels program in the light of a worldwide food crisis.

“When people go hungry you can not postpone it... We must make sure we do not jeopardize our food security,” said Golez, who was in Bacolod for a wedding of a relative.

“Malacañang is sending mixed signals on the rice situation,” he said.

“While Malacañang is saying that it is the opposition that is the one talking about a rice crisis, it announced a P43 billion package to address the situation, so that sounds like an emergency to me,” he said.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said there is no rice crisis while Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales said there is a basis for calling for an emergency, Golez pointed out.

“But my concern is, if the P43 billion is spent through emergency procurement to boost rice production,  the pirates who were responsible for the fertilizer and  swine scams may just be waiting to attack to make money for themselves,” Golez said.

Meanwhile, he said it is time to review the country’s biofuels program.

It appears from the findings of scientists that biofuels may not be contributory to the reduction of carbon emissions, and allocating  government funds and using of more land to plant crops for biofuels may be competing with resources that could be used for food, he said.

A worldwide review of biofuels is underway, it is time we do the same in the Philippines, he said.*CPG

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