Navarro, Harold E.

November 9, 2019
18-UR-0522 BSCE-2B

“A DEATH WARRANT”

Is it a good move in the long run to buy seven pesos below per kilo of rice?

We are the colony of our own elite. As we observed in our society there are too
many toxic behaviour and attitude that we can see and feel. The powerful ones are taking
the advantage of the people who are ignorant and do not have anything knowledge in the
law and in the field of business.

What kind of mind that we have in the government?

The “Rice Tarrification Bill” was signed into a law last February 15 this year and was
authored by Sen. Cynthia Villar. The 13th day of March this year was enacted the law’s
implementing rules and regulations. This law became the one of the centre of attraction in
the Philippines. Too many people reacted angrily of passing this bill into the senate most of
all our beloved farmers.

The reason of signing this law was because they want to address the urgent need to
improve the availability of rice in the country. They want to prevent the rice shortage and to
reduce the prices of rice in the market, and also to stop the corruption and cartel
domination in the rice industry. This law allows imported products of rice, permitting the
traders to import an unlimited quantity of rice. The tariffs will go to the fund of rice industry
and will allocate the revenue programs like irrigation, rice storage and research initiatives.

The Government did not think of what the local farmer thoughts. Local farmers are
the most expected to be impacted as the removal of restrictions that will pit them against
foreign competitors. And most of all the National Food Authority (NFA) will affect as the law
will decrease the functions from their role in rice importation and distribution in the market.

The disadvantage of the law was not considered by the senate. As they open the
gate for the foreign investors that would overpower and wipe out our local farmers
economic growth. Local farmers were totally affected to this law.

I think the agendum why they pass it to the senate is to lift their economic status in
their business career like Senator Villar. We all know that the Philippines was rich of land
farms around the world so why they think of rice shortages. The tactics that they used was
too old. The tariffs will go to the pockets of the powerful officials instead to the fund of the
rice industry. Also it may lead us to fall deeper poverty of the country’s millions of farmers.
Navarro, Harold E. November 9, 2019
18-UR-0522 BSCE-2B

We urge every Filipinos to buy local rice and support our Filipino farmers as they feel
the effects of the “Rice Tarrification Law”. Do not buy imported rice because of this rice
importation. If we continue to buy foreign products our local farmers and their families will
become poorer and poorer until they die. Only the foreign investors and business minded
are the one that will become richer.

Let us support our local farmer. Do not let powerful people control our mind. We
should know our rights. This law was a death warrant for the farmers. So let us hear and
fight for the right of our local farmers.