Although the Department of Agriculture (DA) has recommended the lifting of the rice price cap, it is up to President Marcos to decide on it, an official said on Tuesday, Oct. 3.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Photo from the Presidential Communications Office)
DA-Bureau of Plant Industry Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban faced the media during a press briefing at Malacañan Palace after the sectoral meeting held by the President with the agency and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“Oo. Ano naman ‘yan, joint naman iyan ng ating DTI and DA (Yes. That is joint by the DTI and DA),” he said after much prompting from reporters.
According to the official, they presented “the status of our compliance to the EO (Executive Order) 39 and the indicators point that there are decreasing prices observed in market from our implementation starting last month until today.”
They are also expecting an increase in the supply of local harvest this October to December.
Panganiban also cited “favorable factors externally,” such as the drop in the export prices of rice in the global market.
Although the “parameters” look “ready,” the DA official said “it’s all upon the President to decide on in.”
But while there are “positive indicators,” he stressed that he cannot preempt the decision of the President.
“Ang amin lang, ang focus namin (For us, our focus) and this is the instruction of the President from day one is to really support our farmers, the local produce.”
Panganiban explained that what Marcos wanted was for the rice price cap to lead to “a stable supply and that being translate to stable prices in the market.”
“So, kami sa (in the) DA, we continue with the production ano. I think the market will take care of itself but at that point in time, again temporary measure lang naman siya (it’s just a temporary measure) so we will see kung anong magiging decision ng Presidente (what will be the decision of the President),” he added.
The President issued EO No. 39 on Sept. 5, putting a price ceiling of P41 per kilogram for regular milled rice and P45 per kilogram for well-milled rice across the country, in answer to its rising cost in the market.
The intention was to lift the imposed ceiling price by the end of September but last week, Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said the rice price cap could be extended until October.