Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro criticized Vice President Sara Duterte for claiming that the initiative to lower rice prices to as low as P20 per kilo in the Visayas region was merely an election promise aimed at boosting the Marcos administration senatorial candidates’ chances in the May elections.
Duterte accused the administration of fooling the people anew through implementing the P20 per kilo rice program.
“Sana po sa mga lider, ang tunay na lider at ang tunay na Pilipino ay dapat sumusuporta sa kapuwa Pilipino lalung-lalo na sa pinuno ng bansa. Huwag sanang pairalin ang crab mentality at huwag maging anay sa lipunan,” Castro said in a Palace briefing on Thursday, April 24.
Castro also said the rice being sold at a lower price was the same kind of rice being sold for P33 per kilo prior to the President’s directive to implement the P20 per kilo rice program.
“Hindi porket po mura ang bigas sasabihin na panghayup ang nasabing bigas. Liliwanagin lamang po natin, ang ibebentang bigas ay iyong bigas po na nabibili ngayon sa halagang 33 pesos,” Castro said.
According to the Palace official, Marcos is looking to sustain the implementation of the P20-rice until 2028, hoping more local government units (LGUs) could join the program by providing a subsidy.
She said the move was neither related to the recent drop in Marcos’ approval, nor a campaign strategy for the administration senatorial slate considering how vote-rich Visayas is.
Castro pointed out that the announcement to bring the price of rice to P20 came after years-long discussion and study by the government, and has nothing to do with the recent political developments in the country.
“Unang-una po, sa budget po hindi po agad kinaya or masasabi natin na pinag-aralan kung paano ito mapapatupad at ngayon po na kinakaya po natin. Hindi po ba dapat mas magpunyagi tayo at kumbaga ay sabihin nating isang tagumpay ito ng pamahalaan para sa taumbayan,” Castro said in a Palace briefing on Thursday, April 24.
She explained that it was only now that the government came up with a way to achieve the P20 per kilo of rice through providing subsidies.
Castro also defended the government’s move to pilot the program in Visayas, saying that the National Food Authority (NFA) in Visayas has many stocks.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel explained that to reach the P20 rice, the LGUs and the DA—through Food Terminal Inc. (FTI)—will share the price gap in the current market price of rice of P32 to P33.
For instance, with a P13-gap, the FTI and LGU will shoulder P6.50 each to sell the rice at P20. (Betheena Unite)
