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Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday urged the government to give each rice farmer P12,000 as “bayad lugi” or compensation for the loss incurred as a result of the massive inflows of imported rice.

Data from the United States Department of Agriculture showed that the Philippines imported 3 million metric tons of rice in 2019 on the heels of the Rice Tariffication Law, surpassing the 2.5 million MT imported by China.

“Sa kaliwa’t kanang deliberasyon, balitaktakan at minsan maaanghang na debate ukol sa isyu ng bigas, isang mahalagang boses at interes ang nalulunod sa ingay, ito ang boses at kapakanan ng malilliit na magsasaka,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

“At ang katotohanan, sa likod ng ingay at kuro-kuro, kailangang-kailangan na ng mga maliliit na magsasaka ng tulong,” the senator emphasized.

“Ang nagpapakain sa atin ay hindi pupwedeng walang makain,” she added.

The senator is pushing for the immediate release and distribution of P 6.5 billion of cash assistance to farmers this year.

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She is pushing for a nationwide rice subsidy program through which the government directly buys rice from local farmers at no less than P20.00 per kilo.

Hontiveros is hoping that the program will be an integral tool to raise farmers’ profits and sustain the supply of local rice.

The senator fully supports an increase in tariffs and the implementation of an import ban on rice, which she blamed as the “cause of the crisis.”

She is calling for stronger support of sectoral cooperatives, citing the success stories of their ventures to help alleviate the suffering of farmers.

“Matindi man ang krisis sa palay at iba pang problema, sama-sama natin itong haharapin at sosolusyonan. Asahan po ninyo na patuloy nating ipaglalaban ang karapatan at daing ng hanay magsasaka sa loob at labas ng Senado,” she said. —Amita Legaspi/VDS, GMA News