Seventeen agriculture groups opposing tariff cuts on Sunday, June 9, sought the resignation of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan due to his “pro importation ideology.”

The groups are SINAG, FFF, KMP, PHILCONGRAINS, ABONO Party-list, UBRA, Phil Egg Board, NFHFI, AGAP Party-list, Phil Palay, PCAFI, PhilMaize, AA, RWAN, IRDF, Bantay Bigas, and P4MP.

Jayson Cainglet, the executive director of farmers’ group SINAG, said all 17 agriculture groups came together because of Balicasan as they are all against his proposed tariff cuts on agricultural products.

“Iyan ang mga pinag buklod ni Balisacan. Kahit differing view sa RTL (Rice Tariffication Law), NFA (National Food Authority); we are all united today (These are the things that Balisacan brought together. Despite differing views on the RTL (Rice Tariffication Law) and the NFA (National Food Authority), we are all united today),” he said during a press conference in Quezon City.

“Susulat kami nang formal kay Presidente (We will formally write to the President). I have confidence that if we have a face-to-face meeting with him, I think we have to tell him that we want Secretary Balisacan to step down,” Leonardo Montemayor,  former Department of Agriculture (DA) chief and the chairperson of the FFF (Federation of Free Farmers), he said.

He said that Balicasan should return to the Philippine Competition Commission.

“Maybe he can go back to the Philippine Competition Commission na wala na naman siya nagawa for the rice sector. Kasi po, sobrang-sobrang importasyon noon under RTL. Pina-investigate namin niya kasi sa PCC under the head at that time was Balisacan (Maybe he can go back to the Philippine Competition Commission where he didn't do anything for the rice sector. Because there was excessive importation under the RTL. We had it investigated by the PCC when Balisacan was the head at that time),” he said.

“Until now, there has been no result of that investigation which we requested way back I think in late 2019 or early 2020 until matapos ang term niya (his term ended). So maybe he's better placed there,” Montemayor ended.

For his part, Danny Fausto, the president of PCAFI (Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food), said:  “Si Secretary Balicasan po ay galing sa Department of Agriculture—undersecretary for planning. At matagal na siya diyan at sa School of Economics, doon din po ako na tapos. E, siguro po hindi siya nakatutungtong sa lupa, sa katotohanan (Secretary Balisacan came from the Department of Agriculture—undersecretary for planning. He has been there for a long time and at the School of Economics, where I also graduated. Maybe he is not grounded in reality).”

“Pinapakiusap namin kay Secretary Balisacan, magpahinga na muna siya at baka napapagod na siya (We are asking Secretary Balisacan to take a break, as he might be getting tired),” he went on.

Meeting with the President

Fausto said they are asking for a meeting with President Marcos to discuss the NEDA Board’s approved tariff cuts on agricultural products.

“Humihingi kami ng meeting sa ating Presidente. Sinabi natin kay Secretary Laurel and Secretary Recto and agreeable naman sila na tulungan tayo na mag-set ng meeting (We are requesting a meeting with our President. We informed Secretary Laurel and Secretary Recto, and they agreed to help us arrange the meeting),” he said.

The PCAFI president said they are optimistic that President Marcos will meet with them once his schedule allows.

Elias Jose Inciong, the president of UBRA (United Broiler Raisers’ Association), said they will tell the Chief Executive that high food prices are because of economists like Balisacan.

“Kaya mahal ang pagkain ngayon, kaya lagi tayong may crisis ay gawa ng mga ekonomista na katulad ni Balisacan na puros imported, 30 years na ‘yan (The reason food is expensive and we always have a crisis is because of economists like Balisacan who have relied on imports for the past 30 years),” he said

"If the President keeps on listening to them, he will not be the first President to fall victim to these economists,” he added.

Political pressure

Inciong said the move to cut tariffs has a political dimension, saying the President is being pressured by his party-mates and allies.

“May pressure from his party-mates, from his allies, kasi bagamat popular ang stance ng President tungkol sa China, itong nangyayari sa presyo ng pagkain nakakapekto sa kanilang surveys (There's pressure from his party mates, from his allies, because although the President's stance on China is popular, the current food price situation affects their surveys),” he said.

He said Balisacan possibly tempted President Marcos during the recent NEDA meeting by suggesting that tariff cuts could boost his approval ratings.

“Tingin ko ang sinamantala nina Balisacan, during the NEDA meeting, na according to the announcement, the President was present. Tingin ko natukso nila si President na this is a shortcut to solving the approval ratings because of food prices (I think Balisacan and others took advantage during the NEDA meeting, where, according to the announcement, the President was present. I believe they tempted the President, suggesting that this is a shortcut to improving approval ratings due to food prices),” Inciong stated.

Earlier, the NEDA Board decided to decrease the tariff on rice from 35 percent to 15 percent in a bid to lower rice prices.

Balisacan disclosed the approval of the new Comprehensive Tariff Program (CTP) for the years 2024 to 2028, which encompassed tariff reductions on other essential items within the energy and manufacturing sectors, while also preserving the prevailing low rates on significant agricultural products.