IIFIE PHILIPPINE STAR

PHILIPPINE STAR

MONDAY I SEPTEMBER 23, 2OT9

'HE
15

House allots PlO B

for palay buying
By JESS DIAZ to carry out its principal mandate ofhelping
*,,'*.".,**-"^--*-:*...... tarmers and agranan relorrn benenoanes.
i IheHouseof Representativeshas allo-
. Romero ha! filed a bill to compel Land
cated P10billion for palay procurement to Bark to allot atleast 60 percent ofits loan-
-prop up the price foi the pioduce of more able funds for lending to farmers.
than two million rice farmers.
Speaker AIan Peter Cayetano yester- Mindanao rice
rday-said he ahd his colleagues have de- exPort deal
. cided to increase the palay-buying fund of
Mindanao farmers sha1l soon be sell-
the National Food Authoriiy (NFA) from
ing orgarric rice and Ad lai heirloom grain
IPZ billion to P10 billion.
. to-.Amlrican consurners, which shall be
He saidDavao City ReP. I,sidro Ungab,
.appropriations committee chairman, has coursed through a US-based marketing
company, D&L Oil and Gas LLC.
aftiady found sources in the proposed D&L and local organic and Adlai farm-
r nation;l budget for next year for the P3
ers signed the markedng deal, which covers
rbillion augmentation. anuilimited volume of white, brown red
"But wi would like to go higher than
and blad< rice, induding the exotic Adlai
aP10 billion. However, the additional grownby hibes of the Southem Philippines.
rnonev to buv palav to help our farmers
.would go to ira'ughi if we d'o not adopt a An initial shipmeni of 1000 mehic tons is
expected bef<ire the end of the year.
compre'hensive approach to family-size
farniing, and maf,i'ng this type of farm- Gov't pay hike, OFW
ing and asrarian reform effective in our
cointry," tavetano said.
r measules pdoftazed
According to House mernbers reprcsent- Meanwhile, Majodty Leader Martin
ing farmers, the palay-buying Price has Romualdez said a recent meeting between
falien to as low as P7 per kilq P5 lower tfran leaders of the House and the Senate and
the production cost of P'I2 per kilo. administration offi ciais identified several
Deoutv Soeaker Mikee Romero of other orioritv legislative measures.
t -pacmarisai& the NFA, while waiting for He'said ainorie the orodosals the two
additional funds, "is not without options sides aereed to Jriori fize'are the salatv
to raise monev to enable it to buv more increasE for govlmment personnel and
palay and forie the price to go up to the the creation of the Department of Over-
rbenefit of our farmers." seas Filipino Workers.
' "The NFA could seli its rice stocks, Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu of Batan-
.,both imported and local. We 4re informed gas said the planned government pay
'that it still has imported rice in its ware- hike would nbt require any additional
}louses, although it has stopped import- tax on the public.
ing when the rice liberalization law was According to Albay Rep. Joey Sal-
enacted. By unJoadingit and buying more ceda, who is ways ard means committee
palay, the agency would not only boost chairman, the plarured salary adiustment
the palav price but influence rice prices would amount to 15 percent over three
to gf do'wir as well," he said. years - from 2020 to 2022 - or an annual
Altemati vely, Romero, an economist, iverase oI five oercent.
said the NFA criuld use its ff€dit Iine with gavYan Muna itep. Carlos Zaraie said the
Land Bank and other banks. fi.'..rLtcent increai wor;ld not {ulfill Presi-
"I am sure Land Bank, which is owned dent'Duterte's prcmise to public teachers
by the goveminent, would only be willing and nurses of a substandal salary ina€ase.
t6 lendthe agency more money for palay "lfs iust a pittance. It is barely enough
procurement," he addedl for inflitioru which means that in real
' R.r-.- noted that the stale bank has termt the more than one million rank-
recentlv come under criticism ftom no less and-file personnel will not get any pay
rhan Pi-.sidentDuterte for allegedly failing hike" he said. - With Edith Regalado
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