KASALANAN NG MGA NAGDAANG GOV'T BAKIT NILUNOD NG IMPORTED RICE ANG MGA FARMERS

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Noong ni create ang World Trade Organization noong 1995 may 29 years ang Pilipinas na mag bukas sa market niya kung saan dapat gumawa na siya ng Rice Importation and Exportation Liberalization o Republic Act 11203 . At naisakatuparan na sana niya sa mga nagdaang dekada ang Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund na may P10 Billion kada taon galing sa government ang mga magsasaka para sa Rice Farm, Machinery at Equipment, Rice Seed Development, Propagation, and Promotion, Expanded Rice Credit Assistance, Rice Extension Service, at iba pa. Ito para kayang sabayan ang presyo ng mga kalabang magsasaka sa abroad na mag e export sa atin. E ginawa at pinirmahan lang ng February 14, 2019 ang batas as dictated by the WTO to member countries otherwise their exports to the same countries will be prejudiced.

Dahil late at mahina ang mga miyembro ng Kongreso natin, ang mga magsasaka ang ni sakripisyo at nasadlak sa Rice Liberalization dahil nilulunod na sila ngayon ng walang puknat na cheap rice from Asean and other countries. Ang bilihan ng palay nila ay halos patalo o talo na. Wala silang magawa. Natatakot ang gobyerno sa WTO, natatakot ang gobyerno sa consumers na galit din bago dumating itong Rice Liberalization sa taas ng presyo ng bigas. Mas madami ang consumers kesa farmers kaya kumampi ang Duterte Administration sa Rice Lib to maintain its popularity among this sector na pueding manggulo sa araw araw na rallies.

Hindi naman puweding patigilin ito kasi lalong magkalabu-labo. Parang retaliation ng isang bansang Asean sa Thailand na taasan ang taripa ng mga sasakyang ginawa nya matapos ipitin ng huli ang mga sigarilyo na binebenta ng una. Hindi ko pa sinasabi dito ang mga exports natin na puweding tirahin ng retaliation gaya ng Electrical machinery, equipment: US$34.7 billion (49.3% of total exports), Machinery including computers: $10.6 billion (15.1%), Fruits, nuts: $2.6 billion (3.7%), Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $2.2 billion (3.1%), Gems, precious metals: $1.6 billion (2.3%), Copper: $1.4 billion (2%), Ores, slag, ash: $1.2 billion (1.8%), Vehicles, $1.1 billion (1.5%), Mineral fuels including oil: $1.04 billion (1.5%), Plastics, plastic articles: $1.02 billion (1.5%), at iba pa ayon 2019 data ng worldstopexports.com.

Pag nagkataon, milyon din dito sa mga sectors na ito ang mawawalan ng hanap buhay dahil mahal na ang benta natin ng mga produktong ginagawa nila kung itaas natin ang taripa ng bigas galing abroad.

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PARANG TOURISM DIN, LAGING LATE KAYA PALPAK ANG PINAS.

Let's listen to Columnist Non-Pareil Max Soliven in his November 2005 column:

"According to Jimmy Bautista, the World Tourism Organization estimates that the number of Chinese travelling overseas will jump from the current 10 million a year – a fact which is already making China a "world power" in tourism – to 50 million by 2010. This would render China a leading "source" of tourists internationally, thanks to the growing purchasing power of many Chinese.

Sadly, the Philippines has not been able to take advantage of this booming traffic. During the first semester of this year, only 55,426 Chinese visitors came here, in contrast to 328,673 from the US. More Chinese are opting for other tourist destinations. PAL’s expanding presence in China, including the Beijing flight (a travel-time of only four hours, with immediate turn-around for the return flight to Manila) will hopefully result in a dramatic change in numbers.

Lucio Tan, as I’ve written before, is virtually our unofficial "ambassador" to China, having been very close to former President Jiang Zemin, and today to the present President Hu Jintao. He put up several thriving companies inside China, including a multimillion dollar Banking Center in Xiamen, long before China before "The Flavor of the Year" and the global bandwagon to China began.

Let me say it plainly: Lucio’s enterprises in this country alone employ more than 60,000 people. You can imagine the consequences if government harassment or persecution caused any of his companies, or the Tan empire itself, to go belly-up. Then, as some people quip, Lucio might simply pull up stakes and move to China where he’s appreciated – or to "Guam, where at least, they honor him by celebrating (would you believe?) a "Lucio Tan Day." (PHOTO CREDIT. BULALAT.COM)