Promise fulfilled?

In what was described as an “urgent” presidential visit last Wednesday, members of the media were left wondering what exactly the announcement would be about. In my decade of covering the community, it was the first time I’d been summoned to an audience with the highest official in the country just an hour before the scheduled arrival. We had gotten used to the routine: briefings a day in advance, strict dress codes, and all the other nuances that come with the protocols of any presidential visit. But to our dismay, it was not the president who showed up. Instead, it was the secretary of Agriculture who faced the media.

The immediate announcement was straightforward enough: the administration is rolling out a program to sell rice at ?20 per kilo. A bold move, and perhaps a strategic one, given that the midterm elections are just over two weeks away. The mechanics of the program are simple --indigents, including persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and other qualified individuals, will be allowed to purchase up to 10 kilos of rice per week at the subsidized price. To cover the ?13 difference per kilo, the national government and local government units will split the cost. According to Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr., about ?4.5 million has been allocated for the subsidy, with the program slated to continue until the end of the current administration’s term.

In the height of the 2022 campaign season, one of the Uniteam's promises was affordable rice at ?20 per kilo. After nearly three years, the public is now clamoring for that promise to be fulfilled. While this initiative may appear to be the answer, I can’t help but see it less as a long-overdue promise kept and more as a political maneuver. A well-timed move to boost the chances of the administration's senatorial bets.

Naturally, the opposition has been quick to criticize, calling the program too late. Still, the true judgment will lie with the beneficiaries. Their reception to this initiative may very well dictate who gets to take a seat in the next Senate. As for me, I gave up on rice a long time ago --for health reasons, primarily. I’ve learned that rice can contribute to spiking sugar levels unless it's frozen and reheated. But that’s just me. For the majority of Filipino households, rice remains a staple, both on the table and in the heart of our culture.

We can only hope that this so-called promise fulfilled sparks a broader change in how we view the agricultural sector. Filipino farmers have long been burdened by tariffs and taxes that leave them with the smallest slice of the pie. And let’s not forget --we were once leaders in rice production. Importation was never meant to be the norm.

May we learn to see beyond rice as a mere political tool and start treating it, and the people who grow it with the value they truly deserve. May we look beyond rice as a tool of divisiveness in this most crucial time in our country.