Partylist: Buy local palay first

By Danny O Sagun

Dagupan City (30 July) — The Abono partylist has reiterated its call for the government to obtain palay stocks from local farmers rather than procure rice from other countries.

Abono President Ponciano Onia told a media forum Wednesday that rice importation only serves the interest of farmers from the rice-exporting countries like Thailand and Vietnam to the disadvantage of local farmers.

The government thru the National Food Authority imports rice to serve as buffer stock during the lean months when prices of commercial rice usually soar up.

Onia, the lone guest at the 31st anniversary of Diwa, Salita at Gawa at the Star Plaza Hotel representing Party chair Rosendo So, urged government to buy rice from the local farmers. “Sana huwag muna silang mag-import, sumugal muna sana sila sa mga Filipino farmers bago mag-import,” he stressed.

Asked if local rice production can meet the country’s total demand, he said that rice production in the country is sufficient. “Kung may kakulangan man maliit lang, yong kulang lang sana ang kanilang punan sa pag-import sa ibang bansa,” he said.

“Kung kailangan talagang mag-import, huwag yong marami,” he also said, noting that up to now NFA bodegas are still full of imported rice. “Sana ubusin muna nila yon, baka maging mabaho pa,” he added.

In an earlier media forum, So sounded a similar call maintaining that local farmers can ably meet the country’s supply of the staple food. The partylist also advocates production of white corn, which it said can be substitute for rice as staple food. “Dyan papasok ang white corn,” Onia said in reaction to an observation that the country might suffer rice shortage if it would only depend on local rice production.

He initially refused to comment when asked why the country continues to import rice and even vegetables. But he later slipped when he said that there was money in importation.

A new partylist, Abono was able to muster two seats in Congress as it garnered most of the votes from Pangasinan, which had some 1.1 million votes cast in the last elections. About half voted for partylists. (PIA Pangasinan)