House Speaker Martin Romualdez (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Speaker’s office)

The Marcos administration and the House of Representatives are working toward the lofty goal of rice self-sufficiency by 2028. 

Thus, said House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who noted the importance of long-term thinking in the effort to provide food security for Filipinos. 

"Food security, is national security. So, talagang mahalaga talaga itong programa na ito. Unang-una, gusto natin ibababa natin ang presyo ng bigas na abo’t kaya ng lahat ng Pilipino, kasi ang Presidente ayaw na ayaw niya na may mahirapan o magutom na Pilipino," Romualdez said in a recent interview. 

(This program is really important. First of all, we want to lower the price of rice so that it's affordable to all Filipinos, because the President doesn't want Filipinos to go hungry.) 

"Pero, hindi lang pwede na ganun ang iniisip, kaya ang long-term plan niya ay bago siya bumaba, we will no longer be dependent on rice imports," he said of President Marcos. 

(But we can't limit ourselves to that thinking, that's why his long-term plan before he steps down is that we will no longer be dependent on rice imports.) 

Asked if the goal was for the Philippines to no longer import rice by 2028 or the end of President Marcos' term, Romualdez answered: "Yan ang aspiraton (That is the aspiration)." 

"So, kailangan talaga rice self-sufficient. So, kailangan mas efficient ang mga palayan natin, kailangan ng patubig at napakaraming patubig pa," said Romualdez, who had earned the moniker "Mr. Rice" for his various rice distribution initiatives. 

(So we really need to be rice self-sufficient. So, our farms need to become more efficient, we need irrigation, lots of irrigation.) 

"So all-of-government approach, so yung Department of Agriculture (DA), National Irrigation Authority (NIA), NFA (National Food Authority), siyempre yung buong executive, ngayon yung legislative nag sama-sama na," Romualdez added. 

(So, this is an all-of-government approach, the DA, NIA, NFA, the entire executive, and now the legislative, they have all joined together.) 

The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president cited the importance of Comprehensive Irrigation Systems (CIS) in achieving the goal. 

"Magco-constuct ang DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) ng mas maayos na CIS (Comprehensive Irrigation Systems), interconnected ito sa mga impounding para sa tubig, para kapag umulan may flood control na nag-aasikaso, meron ka nang patubig, meron ka pang reservoir, bulk water," he said. 

(The DPWH will construct better CIS, which will be interconnected to water impounding facilities. These will take of flood control and provide for irrigation, and there will also be a reservoir, bulk water.) 

"Lahat ng ito kinoconverge natin para mas efficient ang paggamit ng pondo. Naging teamwork kasi dati, yung DA may programa, NIA may programa parang hindi nag-uusap. Pero, nag-uusap na tayo. So, we feel that sa puno’t dulo nito magkakaroon ng tayong rice self-sufficiency," Romualdez said. 

(We will converge all of these so that the use of funds is more efficient. Before there was teamwork, the DA had a program, the NIA had a program but they didn't seem to be coordinating. But, not anymore. So we feel that the end goal of this is to achieve rice self-sufficiency.)