AN administration lawmaker yesterday slammed Vice President Sara Duterte for her “budol” (trick) criticism against the administration’s P20-per-kilo rice program, reminding her that rice infested with “bukbok” (weevils) were sold for as high as P70 per kilo during the administration of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said Manny Piñol, former secretary of the Department of Agriculture, had even that the weevils were safe to eat just to save face.
“It is ironic that the vice president is mocking efforts to lower rice prices to P20 per kilo when, during the administration of her father, rice prices even soared to P70 per kilo in some areas,” Adiong said.
“It was under the Duterte government that we saw imported rice shipments infested with bukbok, when her father’s appointed agriculture secretary, Manny Piñol, oversaw rice importation. Before pointing fingers, it would be better for her to look back at the failures of the administration she proudly represents,” he also said.
The vice president last Thursday night said that the implementation of the program, a campaign promise of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was “too little, too late” as she questioned the timing of its rollout in the Visayas.
She alleged that it was done in the Visayas during the election period where the administration’s senatorial candidates’ ratings are supposedly low.
Adiong said that instead of attacking the program, the vice president “should support every effort that aims to provide relief to the Filipino people, especially when it involves making basic necessities more affordable.”
He also reminded her of the hardships that ordinary Filipinos endured under her father’s administration, especially when rice prices skyrocketed and food security became a national crisis.
“A leader, especially a compassionate one, supports ways to alleviate the public’s hardships and doesn’t discredit others’ efforts,” he said in Filipino, adding that national leaders “must rise above politics, especially when the welfare of the people is at stake.”
“It’s not about which administration gets credit. It’s about making sure Filipino families can put affordable food on their tables. As public servants, our loyalty should be to the people, not to political vendettas,” he stressed.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel on Wednesday announced the pilot implementation of the P20 per kilo rice program in the Visayas following Marcos’ closed-door meeting with the 12 governors of the region, led by Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, that was held at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.
The P20 per kilo rice that would be sold are the P33 per kilo rice from the NFA. The national government and the LGUs will split the balance of P13, which means each will shell out P6.50 per kilo of rice to be sold.
Malacañang has said the decision to sell rice at a lower price has nothing to do with the May 12 midterm elections and the president’s lower approval and trust ratings in recent surveys.
The Palace has also vowed to look for funds to bankroll the nationwide implementation of the P20 per kilo rice and sustain it until the end of the president’s term in 2028.
The program involves partnerships with farmers’ cooperatives to eliminate middlemen and reduce costs.
