The Senate wants to know why prices of food are high.
Senator Francis Pangilinan delivered a privilege speech on rising food prices in today’s plenary session.
Before delivering his speech, Pangilinan said Senator Cynthia A. Villar, chairwoman of the Senate agriculture and food committee, assured him that she would conduct a hearing on his Senate resolution seeking a full-dress Senate inquiry, in aid of legislation.
Pangilinan was President Benigno S. Aquino’s presidential assistant for food security and agricultural modernization.
He emphasized that increases in food prices have a major impact on the living standard of low-income households which generally spend most of their income on food.
Pangilinan said the current COVID-19 pandemic has also worsened the livelihood of many Filipinos through job losses and reduced incomes.
He said the Senate inquiry would determine other interventions that would help not just to stabilize prices but to bring down prices to ensure that every Filipino consumer, especially the poor, have access to adequate and affordable food.
The Department of Agriculture reported that food prices increased due to several factors, including African Swine flu and the typhoons that hit the country last year.