(MANILA BULLETIN)

President Marcos’ campaign promise to bring rice prices down to P20 per kilo has been given new life thanks to the House Murang Pagkain Super-committee's plan to pursue it.

This was according to the super-panel’s overall chairman Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda who said that their objective was to bring rice prices “as close as possible to the President’s aspiration”.

“We will try to push the envelope as close to that as possible. What I can tell you is that it looks like there is a path to P30 per kilo,” he said.

Salceda, an economist, noted that rice accounts for as mush as 22 percent of total expenditures by poor households.

Food, in general, combines to as much as 54 percent of total spending by low-income families.

“A big part of that is cutting down excessive middleman and cartel profits,” he stressed.

The veteran lawmaker explained that landed price of imports—which includes movements in prices globally and the Marcos-ordered tariff reduction—declined by around 24.9 percent year on year.

He said over the same period, consumer retail prices went up 9.0 percent.

“It’s puzzling and an unmistakable sign of shenanigans in the rice trade sector,” Salceda said.

“That’s why we are looking into rice price manipulation over the past ten or so years…to learn from what happened, and to see whether the same network of smugglers and cartels are still in the game,” he added.

Salceda said the Murang Pagkain Super-committee aims to identify all profiteers, hoarders, smugglers, cartelists, and regulatory patrons involved in the rice price spike from 2012 to 2013, the price manipulation between 2016 and 2018, and the 2024 stubborn high prices.

“We have enough laws already—the key is to enforce them—catch them, prosecute them and punish them,” he emphasized.

The Bicolano solon pointed out that President Marcos has laid out enough course of action to lower rice prices in the country. He identified the policy of cutting tariffs on imported rice as one of these price-cutting measures.

Salceda cited that the farmgate price in Central Luzon is now just P20.02. In this case, assuming that milling yields 65 percent of that, milled rice should come out to P30.08 per kilo.

“Even if you assume profits of 20 percent, prices should be at P37 per kilo. Something is really wrong,” he said.

With this, Salceda said the super-panel plans to submit initial recommendations based on its inquiry before President Marcos by Christmas.

“Not yet the committee report, but we hope something that PBBM can use to crack down on price abuse. Pamasko man lang sa taumbayan (A Christmas gift for our countrymen),” he added.

The Murang Pagkain Super-committee brings together the Committees on Ways and Means, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Food, Social Services, and the Special Committee on Food Security.

The panel is the House’s latest attempt to address issues in the country’s food supply chain, including price manipulation, smuggling, and hunger.