DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian (Screenshot from YouTube live)

Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian has admitted before House of Representatives members that it's not part of the agency’s plans to reduce the retail price of rice to P20. 

Sebastian made this revelation to the House Committee of Appropriations Tuesday, Aug. 22 during deliberations on the DA's proposed budget for 2024. 

During the budget hearing, the congressman-interpellators kept bringing up the subject of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s campaign promise last year of pulling down the price of rice to P20 per kilo. 

Marcos, whose term will last until 2028, is the concurrent DA secretary. 

"Nakasama ba sa road map natin o sa plano yung P20 (per kilo). Kung hindi 2028, kelan ang projection? Ang mahalaga, nasa plano ng Department of Agriculture (Is the P20 per kilo rice part of our plan or road map? If not by 2028, when is the projection? What's important is, it's part of the DA's plans)," asked House Deputy Minority leader and Basilan lone district Rep. Mujiv Hataman. 

When Sebastian--the DA's undersecretary for rice industry development--couldn't give a direct answer, Hataman pressed and asked, "So walang sagot doon Mr. Chair? So Mr. Chair, hindi kasama sa plano yung pagbaba ng presyo ng bigas by 2028? (So there's no answer to that Mr. Chair? So it's not part of your plan to lower rice prices by 2028?)" 

"[Price] reduction, that is included, but not the P20, Mr. Chair," Sebastian said. 

When Hataman asked him what the agency’s target price for the staple grain was, at least during the Marcos administration, the DA official merely laughed and didn't provide an answer. 

Earlier in the hearing, Sebastian described the P20 per kilo rice promise as "our goal post when it comes to reducing the cost". 

"As the President has also said, that is our aspiration Mr. Chair.," he noted. 

But when Hataman asked if such price level was achievable, Sebastian answered--again, laughing--"I cannot answer that Mr. Chair." He would later categorically tell the Basilan solon that it wasn't part of the agency’s road map. 

Isabela 1st district Rep. Tonypet Albano asked Sebastian whether or not he thinks achieving rice self-sufficiency for the country could lead to lowered rice prices, but the latter qgain gave a deflating response. 

"Mr. Chair, to be honest, we never discussed about those things you are asking, Mr. Chair, with the President," he said. 

Sebastian, during the interpellation of administration critic Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman, said that the DA expects prices of rice to stabilize between P45 and P46 a kilo once the harvest period kicks in. 

"Hopefully we can cope up with that price Mr. Chair. But at this time Mr. Chair, because of the high price of imported rice coming in, it is pulling the price of the local to a higher level... Imported rice is costing higher," he said. 

Lagman replied: "That's still far from the campaign promise of P20, and this campaign promise must have had the President win the presidency. But spiraling prices of price may stagger his incumbency."