Desisyong pagsuspinde sa pag-angkat ng bigas ni PBBM mula ibang bansa sinusugan ni Albay 3rd District Rep. Salceda!

Bilang Chairman ng House Special Committee on Food Security, Sinusugan ni Albay 3rd District Representative Raymond Adrian Salceda ang desisyon ng Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na itigil simula sa susunod na buwan ang pag-angkat ng imported na bigas na siyang pumapatay sa industriya ng bigas sa mga magsasakang Filipino.

Tama po na dapat walang kakompetensiya ang saganang ani ng mga magsasaka sa tanging pagkakataon nila upang kumita at patuloy na makapagsaka. This is the season when our farmers try to recover their costs and earn enough to survive. We owe them this protection.

At the same time, we must prepare for the long term. That is why I filed House Bill No. 48, which strengthens the National Food Authority’s buffer stocking function and mandates the use of modern storage technologies to preserve rice quality. Kung maghihigpit tayo sa importasyon, kailangang may tiwala tayong may sapat at sariwang suplay mula sa sariling ani.

In the long run, our rice sector should be strong enough to compete with or without circuit breakers like this. Wala pa po tayo dyan sa ngayon, pero may mga probinsya na kaya na. Gayahin po natin ang best practices nila. Strong support for irrigation, certified seeds, mechanization, and farmer cooperatives has made the difference in those areas, pahayag ng Mambabatas.

As Chair of the House Special Committee on Food Security, I commit to shepherding policy reforms that give our farmers a fighting chance and our consumers a stable, affordable rice supply. We will work closely with the Department of Agriculture and the NFA to ensure that this suspension is not just provides short-term relief, but also leads to meaningful reform, dagdag pahayag ni Rep. Salceda. (Cesar Barquilla)