Senator Robinhood "Robin" Padilla is pushing for scholarship and health services for farmer-beneficiaries of the Rice Tariffication Act, also known as Republic Act (RA) 11203. In Senate Bill (SB) 231, which he filed, Padilla also sought to increase the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)...
An online solidarity action was held by various peasant groups in the Philippines to solidify their resistance against the Golden Rice project. Masipag farmers reject Golden Rice (Photo courtesy of Masipag Visayas / Facebook) Filipino farmers, on Monday, Aug. 8, launched an online solidarity action...
The Philippines is home to a wide variety of crops and livestock, many of them disappearing from cultivation due to modernization. A handful of them are listed in the Ark of Taste, the Slow Food Movement’s catalog of endangered foods from across the globe. There are currently 65 Filipino food...
A pro-administration senator has said that pricing rice at P20 per kilo is not possible--at least, not yet. Senator Cynthia A. Villar, who retained her chairmanship of the Senate Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform Committee in the current 19th Congress, explained that the price of palay or...
LUCENA CITY, Quezon -- A provincial lawmaker is seeking an indefinite moratorium on the reclassification of rice lands in this province. Quezon Second District Board Member Ferdinand ‘Bong’ Talabong is the provincial board for the approval of the moratorium to stop the extensive conversion of...
A vlogger is selling rice for just P20 per kilo, turning an idea during the election campaign into a reality. Rechie Susarno, who runs the YouTube channel “Kakampink101,” has sold rice for P20 per kilo in Rizal and in his hometown in Taguig, and anyone can buy it regardless of political...
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Monday, August 1, that it has approved the release of subsidy to rice farmers affected by the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL). In a statement, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) amounting to P8.05 billion...
The Valenzuela City government started the distribution of the "Pasko sa Hulyo" rice bags to senior citizens in the city on Saturday, July 23. The distribution will be held for five days, from July 23-24, 29-31 in various redemption sites in different barangays, where the elderlies registered to...
The Department of Agriculture (DA), headed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. in a concurrent capacity, is looking into the possibility of implementing the “Masagana 150” program which aims to harvest 150 cavans of rice per hectare of land. A similar program, dubbed “Masagana...
SL Agritech Corp. plant in Talavera, Nueva Ecija constructed in 2012 Food stability in the Philippines has been a continuing problem that is projected to lead to a food crisis by the end of this year. Recently, the National Economic and Development Authority, mentioned that rising prices in rice...
WALA LANG I was seated at dinner recently with two gentlemen from Vietnam who happened to be here in the early 1980s. They remarked that then, Vietnam was importing a lot of things from here, including food. One thing led to another and the conversation led to how come it’s now the other way...
(KEITH BACONGCO / MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO) A PUBLiCUS Asia survey has found that most Filipinos support the repeal of the Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law of 2019. RA 11203 removed quantitative restrictions on rice imports in favor of a tariff system when it was signed...
