This After trading
barbs in the media
By Mortz C. Ortigoza
Department of
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol and national multi-industry’s Samahang
Agrikultura at Industriya (Sinag) chairperson Rosendo So had traded barbs lately in the
national media.
So vented to reporters
that with the influx of imported pork, chicken, and the new liberalization of
the importation of rice under the new law, Republic Act 11203 or an Act Liberalizing
the Importation, Exportation, and Trading of Rice, the lives of Filipino
farmers hog and pork raisers and farmers go to the dogs.
“Ang
tawag sa Department of Agriculture hind na Department of Agriculture,
Department of Importation. Ang problem itong secretary nawawala, palaging
nagtatago ayaw harapin ang ating mga taga hog industry. Siguro guilty sa
kanyang ginawa kaya ayaw harapin ang mga taga hog industry,” So cited when
he was interviewed by ABS-CBN's television anchor Noli de Castro.
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That play of words had
been quoted by amused national radio and television reporters like Ted Failon of DZMM
but refuted by Piñol on the recent interview at DZMM.
Piñol, a former print
and radio reporter, answered the raps of Rosendo So:
“Ano ang sinasabi niyang Department of Importation. Bakit
wala ba kaming suporta sa mga local na magsasaka. That’s unfair iyang sinasabi
niya tago ako ng tago nandito ako ngayon sa Muñoz Nueva Ecija kaharap ko iyong
mga rice stakeholders,”
he told Failon.
When asked about the
over importation of pork and chicken
approved by the D.A that So said will annihilate the local
poultry and hog industries, Piñol answered:
“Hindi masasabing over importation. There was a marked
increase of the importation of pork and chicken, these are problems we can
address if we seat together. You know, discuss the solution rather than label
us as Department of Importation”.
The Sinag chair cited
the cheap buying prices of palay (unhusked rice) at the expense of the
marginalized Filipino farmers because the National Food Authority and the D.A
allowed the importation of 1.96 million MT or 39.2 million bags in 2018, 555,
696 MT or 11, 113, 920 in January 2019, and 350,000 MT or 7 million bags in
February 2019 outside of the Minimum
Access Volume (MAV).
MAV, according to the
Tariff Commission, is the amount of imports of an agricultural product allowed
to be imported into the country at a customs duty lower thant the out-quota
customs duty.