Updated on February 12 at 2:14AM
Farmers are a key contributor in raising the combined value of the country’s agriculture and fisheries sectors from P1.757-trillion in 2022 to P1.763-trillion last year, Speaker Martin Romualdez said Sunday.
In a statement, the Speaker said he is hoping President Marcos and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. will keep supporting local farmers “to sustain this momentum.”
Romualdez paid tribute to thousands of Filipino farmers for delivering more than 20 million metric tons of rice in 2023, an increase of 1.25 percent, from their previous output.
“This exceptional achievement by our hardworking farmers is truly deserving of praise. They are undeniably the cornerstone and solution to our nation’s rice scarcity,” he said in a statement.
The Marcos administration recently distributed various types of assistance to several farmers and their cooperatives in Pampanga to enhance their production amid current challenges facing their sector, including the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
In late August last year, Romualdez also raided some warehouses in Bulacan that were suspected of engaging in the practice of rice hoarding, which he described as a “heinous crime.”
The Speaker reiterated his commitment to support ongoing government-led efforts to ensure food security for Filipino families by stabilizing rice supply and keeping them affordable.
During a meeting with representatives of the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders’ Movement, Romualdez assured them of the unwavering commitment of the House of Representatives to combat rice hoarders and smugglers.
This fully supports the efforts of the Marcos administration to stabilize rice prices, the Speaker said.
“If you want to be part of the solution, you are with us, we will help you, we’re going to support you. But if you’re part of the problem, we will root you out,” he warned smugglers.
Romualdez maintained that Congress “is firmly committed to ensuring a consistent, stable, and affordable supply of essential commodities for Filipinos.”
“We will exercise the chamber’s mandate to safeguard the interests of the public to the fullest extent possible,” he said.