ILOILO CITY – Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas has lashed out at the administration for continuing to deny the existence of a rice crisis, saying the continued denial will delay the resolution of the problem.

“I believe the government is in denial because until now they refuse to admit that we have a problem,” Roxas said here Saturday at the sidelines of a consultation on food and other issues at the Iloilo provincial capitol.

Roxas, chairman of the Senate committee on trade and commerce, and former Trade and Industry Secretary, said this “denial” can be seen in the pronouncements of top officials of the national government and the regional and provincial officers of the Department of Agriculture and National Food Authority.

“We can see that it is still regular, ordinary course of business for them. There is no extra or special program to address the country's shortage of rice and palay,” he said.

During the consultation that was attended by farmers, traders and government officials, the farmers group lamented the failure of the NFA to buy enough rice and at a higher price compared to that of traders.

They also called for more funds for irrigation systems, post-harvest facilities and more accessible credit loans for farmers in order to boost production and raise the income of farmers.

Roxas said the funds being allotted by the DA and other agencies will not be enough to cover for the country's rice deficit estimated around 2 million metric tons.

“Until the top officials admit that we have a problem, the situation will persists. The problem existing this year will be repeated in the next year,” Roxas said.

He belittled the administration's P43-billion FIELDS program which is touted to be the long-term solution to rice and food supply concern.

FIELDS is an acronym for Fertilizer, Irrigation, Extension and education, Loans and insurance, Dryers and other post-harvest facilities, and Seeds and other genetic materials. The funds include P500 million for fertilizer especially organic-based and P6 billion yearly until 2010 for irrigation and another P6 billion for infrastructure.

Government has also allotted P2 billion for research and development, P1 billion each for capacity- building, trainers and technicians, and for an agricultural and fisheries education system.

Government financial institutions have also earmarked P15 billion for loans and insurance and P5 billion for loans for farmers. It will also spend P2 billion for dryers and post harvest facilities, another P2 billion for hybrid seeds and P6 billion for certified seeds.

The program was formulated after the recent national food summit to boost agricultural development and to address food security concerns.

But Roxas said it is not clear whether the P43 billion is new money or old money that has been repackaged out of the budget.

He said the P500 million intended for fertilizer support under the FIELDS program is not enough to cover the country's 4 million hectares of rice land and would only amount to P120 per hectare.

“That is tokenism...that is pakitang tao,” Roxas said. “That's not even 10 percent of a bag of urea (fertilizer) which is selling at P1,500 per bag.”

He said that instead of spending around P60 billion to import rice from Thailand and Vietnam, the government should spend this for Filipino farmers.

“If that P60 billion is spent in the country, at least it will benefit Filipino farmers, not Thai farmers or Vietnamese farmers,” he said.

Roxas also said the rice importation strategy is just band aid to meet the immediate urgent shortfall. “But it does not solve our problem because next year we will have to import again and who knows what will be the price next year,” he said.

He said long-term solutions are needed, including the revival of a rice self-sufficiency program.

“But we cannot do that if it just ordinary course of business.”*NPB

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Senator Mar Roxas criticized the executive branch for ignoring the public’s clamor for a review of the continued imposition of the 12 percent value-added tax on oil despite soaring oil prices, a statement from his office said.

“I reject that the government is incapable of protecting our people from the tyranny of high oil prices,” the senator said.

Roxas noted that President Gloria Arroyo and her economic team have been adamantly against any move to reduce or suspend the collections of a 12 percent VAT on oil products.

“I believe that a national debate on the continued imposition of this double-digit VAT on oil must now begin. I urge the appropriate committees in the Lower House to immediately work on pending measures that propose this. A temporary VAT suspension on oil products would bring immediate relief to the people, including the transport sector during these extremely difficult times,” Roxas added.

The senator noted that most products including basic food items are also affected by the spiraling increases in petroleum with today’s P1/liter increase as adding more weight to the heavy cross that all consumers must now bear.

“The purchasing power of every Filipino – like the pandesal – is shrinking by the day. There is one lever that the government has in its full control that could give immediate relief to all of us. The important thing is to have that conversation, that dialog on the VAT on oil, now rather than later when the people’s patience could break down,” Roxas stressed.

The senator said his committee will schedule a price hearing to determine the impact of the latest round of oil price increases.

“What is evident is that the government has yet to present a comprehensive plan to the people – on rice, oil, and energy – and the safety nets available to the poor to help them cope with the tsunami of escalating prices. What we keep hearing about is totally irrelevant to the needs of the people – like all this noise about an impending Cabinet revamp,” he said in the statement.*

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