Militant groups stage rally to protest enactment of rice tarrification law
By Chito Chavez
Various militant groups trooped to the Department of Agriculture (DA) head office in Quezon City Monday to protest against the enactment of the Rice Tarification Law, as they urged the public to express their rage over the “certain death of the rice industry’’ in the country.
Anakpawis partylist Rep. Ariel “Ka Ayik” Casilao (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
The protesters included the rice watch group Bantay Bigas, peasant women’s group Amihan or the National Federation of Peasant Women, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), urban poor group Kadamay and Anakpawis Partylist.
They demanded the repeal of the new law and, instead, called for the enactment of House Bill No. 8512 or the proposed Rice Industry Development Act (RIDA) filed by Anakpawis Party-list Representative Ariel “Ka Ayik” Casilao on World Food Day last October.
As symbolic action, black-veiled protesters lighted candles in front of three mock-up tombstones, written with “RIP” for the local rice industry, livelihood of farmers and affordable rice.
“As tradition, we mourn but only briefly, subsequently, we are enraged and urging the people to denounce this conscious effort for condemning poor sectors into worsened hunger, undermining of food security and devastation of self-sufficiency, and generational social injustice,” Cathy Estavillo said, Bantay Bigas spokesperson, Amihan Secretary-General and also third nominee of Anakpawis Party-list.
She said the law, allowing unabated rice imports, will lead to the serious destruction of the P360- billion 19 million metric tons national palay production.
Consequently, Estavillo said “this will impact the condition of 2.7 million rice farmers, about 13.5 million Filipinos, 17.5 million farm workers and 10 million poor who rely on cheap rice marketed by the National Food Authority (NFA)’’.
The KMP added that it will also threaten the livelihood of 20,000 small rice retailers and 60,000 of its workers, 6,600 small millers and their 55,000 workers.
“This is so catastrophic, that the next generation Filipinos will definitely be trapped in misery, thus, at this moment, we call for a broad opposition against this law,” she added.
She also noted that this will imperil the productive 3.5 million hectares of rice land, which will be targeted for either land-use or crop conversion that will “put the country to a point of no return to self-sufficiency or self-reliance’’.