RP, always in the
midst of food crisis

The country’s biggest problem is agriculture. And the problem is our production and productivity that have been hampered by our flawed government policies.

And this flawed policy is the breaking up of productive agricultural lands into small areas for people not known to be effective tillers, without government technological, financing, and marketing support, and which lands no bank will accept as collateral for a loan because they cannot be foreclosed and, if foreclosed, they can not be taken over.

The purpose of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law has been to improve productivity and lessen poverty. The opposite was what happened.

And yet there are still among us those who want to extend this problem to the economy. As I said, the program as a concept is good but the implementation is wrong.

These land reform beneficiaries do not pay taxes nor the amortization. And government cannot get back the land. In short, it is rewarding laziness and irresponsibility.

* * *

Because of this our agriculture is affected. You want to borrow money using your farm, not tenanted, as collateral….no bank will lend you. If tomorrow some squatters enter the land because the owner cannot pay, the bank cannot take it.

Corporate farming? Okay. But will the bank finance these corporate farms? Banks are wary.

In the early 70s under Agriculture Secretary Arturo Tanco we exported rice. Today we are the world’s biggest rice importer.

The Philippines wants to buy more. But the latest news was that we don’t have enough countries to buy from. They are just short of rice also, preparing for their own needs.

The price of rice will continue to go up.

* * *

And where do we go? The other day U.P. statistics said our population will double in 35 years from August 1, 2007 of 87.5 million. At our normal increase of 2 percent a year or our population on Aug. 1, 2008 it will be 87.5 plus 1.7 million or 89.2 million.

Or roughly 90 million which means 35 years from now or in 2043 our population will be 180 million. How can we feed these people? If we cannot feed 90 million how can we feed 180 million?

* * *

To buttress further the argument that our agrarian reform, by the manner it is implemented today, will bring us only problems, look at these statistics.

I said, in 1974 we exported rice under Secretary Arturo Tanco. Now, 34 years after we are the world’s biggest rice importer.

In 1974 also we were the biggest exporter of sugar to the U.S. market. All over the world at the time Cuba was the biggest sugar exporter.

Now, we have been importing sugar from Thailand.

The rice crisis all over the world came on the heels of the Philippines scouting for rice to buy to cover up for its shortage. So, in a sense, we caused the rice crisis?

In 1974 the Philippines also caused the sugar crisis.

Those old enough can recall that in 1974 or thereabout, price of sugar in the world market zoomed to more than 70 U.S. cents to a pound. It soared because President Marcos wanted to hold the sale of our sugar.

We had the biggest stocks. Marcos was waiting it would hit a dollar to a pound and then he would unload. But on reaching 74 U.S. cents the price in the London market collapsed.

When the price collapsed we were left holding on to overflowing bag which no one wanted to buy to punish us. Even the U.S. refused to buy our sugar.

Many of you will remember how our bodegas, pelota courts, and even churches were overflowing with sugar.

* * *

What is the lesson? Our leaders do not know how to manage our agricultural economy. CARP will bring us sinking deeper and deeper.

***

Meanwhile, I would like to commend Globe Telecom. It is installing a repeater in my house today because of my complaint that I could not got a signal in my room.

My complaint was that while Globe was advertising you could be reached anywhere in the globe, I could not be reached nor could I reach anybody from my room. I am happy the two executives of Globe Telecom here Sharon Ciocon at SM and Bebing Uy at Robinsons helped me.

They promised Globe would do something. Globe is responsive.

I have a Smart phone, too. I have not met problems yet. I hope if I have a problem, it will be just as fast in responding as Globe.*

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