Promising to reduce the price of rice to its lowest imaginable level for a given period is music to the voter’ ears. But implementing it successfully is always an impossibility.
Digong Duterte promised to bring down rice prices to P7/kg during his 2018 state of the nation address.
Incumbent President Marcos Jr. vowed rice at P20/kg. during his 2022 campaign, but which currently remains an impossible dream amid their latest promise to roll out rice at P20 by May 2, after Labor Day, to assuage the thinning patience of the country’s workers who can barely afford the staple now at more than P45/kg for regular milled rice.
Politicians overuse the promise of lowering rice prices for their personal advancement, without following through and ensuring that they keep their word for the sake of the citizenry.
TIME TO DELIVER
Now, the government is again pronouncing to deliver this campaign promise of P20 rice just weeks before the 2025 midterm election, to get votes for their candidates. Cheap shot.
Already, Marcos’ promise of P20/kg rice by May 2 has been branded a lie by VP Sara Duterte.
Columnist Jake Maderazo compared FP Duterte and Marcos as to who is handling the rice crisis better. “Duterte cited the urgency in his 2018 SONA for Congress to prioritize a proposed law to impose tariffs on rice in place of import quota to reduce prices by P7 per kg to slow inflation significantly,” he wrote.
“By September 2018, prices soared to P70/kg under then DA Secretary Manny Pinol with inflation as high as 6.7%. Three years later, the promised P7/kg never happened,” he said.
Duterte focused on liberalizing rice imports to stabilize prices by increasing supply, through imports. This led to challenges for local farmers who had to compete with cheap imports. Back then, rice smuggling flourished and local farmers’ palay were at the mercy of middlemen.
‘Public reactions to VP’s statements ranged from skepticism to a reminder that her father’s promise was a much lower P7/kg during his term.’
STRONG AGRI INFRA
The Marcos administration works at strengthening agricultural infrastructure and providing subsidies to farmers, the effects of which would be felt by later administrations. Still, these measures have the potential to enhance local production and eventually reduce import dependency.
For me, while it is good to boost agricultural infrastructure, the Marcos administration (despite laws to prevent agricultural smuggling and price manipulation) has still to produce concrete evidence of its sincerity to enforce to the fullest such anti agricultural economic sabotage laws. No smuggler or cartel member has yet been charged and jailed.
Though rice prices have dropped with ceilings for imported rice at P45/kg (a drop of P19 from P64/kg in January 2025), still this is not to be credited to the administration since global rice prices have softened, in addition to lowered tariffs and a strong peso. The NFA also sells P33/kg in (hardly visible) Kadiwa stores nationwide.
The P20/kg promised by DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has obtained the poll body’s green light for the rollout in 12 provinces in the Visayas, during the homestretch of the campaign period. The President posted on his FB page “Twenty pesos per kilo of rice. That’s the promise – and now, we’re making it happen in the Visayas region.”
REGULAR MONITORING
VP Duterte doubted Marcos’ motive. “Perhaps they are again trying to fool people with P20-per-kilo rice. The person who promised P20 per kilo lied knowing it wasn’t possible, but he still gave people false hope.”
She countered that this cheap rice would be “of such low quality that it would normally be used as pig feed.
Sara Duterte added that “such efforts were just part of a broader scheme to boost administration allies’ chances in the coming elections.”
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson assured that the rice to be sold under the P20 per kilo rice program is of high quality and that nothing of poor quality rice will leave the warehouse. He added that NFA’s rice stocks undergo regular monitoring and laboratory and other tests to assess their quality.
EASING FOOD SECURITY
Public reactions to VP’s statements ranged from skepticism to a reminder that her father’s promise was a much lower P7/kg during his term.
If actually implemented, the promise of low rice prices could have eased the food insecurity and low nutritional intake of the people, so they can allocate limited resources to other essential needs such as healthcare and education.
We must remember that the P20-per-kilo rice program is basically a “crucial social service to those in need,” Maderazo said, adding that “food security is a fundamental right and must be a priority rather than government profitability.”