Echoing concerns that granting GMA emergency powers to solve the rice crisis would be counter-productive, Deputy Minority Leader and AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros said that the long-term solutions to the rice shortage are actually right under the administration's nose.
"The long-term solutions do not take the exercise of emergency powers, just political will," AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros said. "If the government has the political will to seriously address the crisis, all President GMA has to do is certify two bills, the CARP extension and reform bill and the land use bill, as urgent measures. We challenge her to rally administration solons in Congress to pass these bills before her State of the Nation Address (SONA) this year.
Rep. Hontiveros said that booth bills would boost rice and agricultural production in the country. "This global crisis is expected to worsen, and we have no choice but to respond to this food security crisis with strategic solutions. Reliance on imported rice is not strategic for the Philippines," Rep. Hontiveros said.
The solon added that GMA's pursuit of rice hoarders would give the government pogi points but would not significantly contribute to the country's rice stocks to prevent the price of rice from increasing.
"The rice hoarders and smugglers are small fries. The question is whether the GMA administration has the political resolve to go after the bigger culprits why our food security is in such a dire condition – the big land owners that, by blocking agrarian reform and by evading CARP through land conversion, have compromised our food security," Rep. Hontiveros said.
"Real solutions to the food crisis – such as the passage of the land use bill and the CARP extension and reform bill – would require the government to step on the toes of its allies in Congress. Is she ready and willing to do that?" Rep. Hontiveros asked.
She said that the land use bill has been languishing in Congress due to strong opposition from landlords in Congress that resort to land conversion to evade CARP. The CARP extension and reform bill, on the other hand, face the same resistance from landlords and their allies in Congress. "Without these two pillars of food security, the country would face tremendous hardship because of the rice shortage," Rep. Hontiveros warned.
She said that the government has no choice but push for genuine solutions to the crisis. "It cannot scale up importation because of declining rice stocks worldwide and the government's revenue shortfalls. An unpopular and inefficient government plus a hungry populace is a sure recipe for a political disaster bigger than Jun Lozada," the opposition solon said.
AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros is the principal author of HB 1257, which extends and reforms CARP, and HB 3637, a bill that creates a national land use policy and which prohibits land conversion, among others.
"The long-term solutions do not take the exercise of emergency powers, just political will," AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros said. "If the government has the political will to seriously address the crisis, all President GMA has to do is certify two bills, the CARP extension and reform bill and the land use bill, as urgent measures. We challenge her to rally administration solons in Congress to pass these bills before her State of the Nation Address (SONA) this year.
Rep. Hontiveros said that booth bills would boost rice and agricultural production in the country. "This global crisis is expected to worsen, and we have no choice but to respond to this food security crisis with strategic solutions. Reliance on imported rice is not strategic for the Philippines," Rep. Hontiveros said.
The solon added that GMA's pursuit of rice hoarders would give the government pogi points but would not significantly contribute to the country's rice stocks to prevent the price of rice from increasing.
"The rice hoarders and smugglers are small fries. The question is whether the GMA administration has the political resolve to go after the bigger culprits why our food security is in such a dire condition – the big land owners that, by blocking agrarian reform and by evading CARP through land conversion, have compromised our food security," Rep. Hontiveros said.
"Real solutions to the food crisis – such as the passage of the land use bill and the CARP extension and reform bill – would require the government to step on the toes of its allies in Congress. Is she ready and willing to do that?" Rep. Hontiveros asked.
She said that the land use bill has been languishing in Congress due to strong opposition from landlords in Congress that resort to land conversion to evade CARP. The CARP extension and reform bill, on the other hand, face the same resistance from landlords and their allies in Congress. "Without these two pillars of food security, the country would face tremendous hardship because of the rice shortage," Rep. Hontiveros warned.
She said that the government has no choice but push for genuine solutions to the crisis. "It cannot scale up importation because of declining rice stocks worldwide and the government's revenue shortfalls. An unpopular and inefficient government plus a hungry populace is a sure recipe for a political disaster bigger than Jun Lozada," the opposition solon said.
AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros is the principal author of HB 1257, which extends and reforms CARP, and HB 3637, a bill that creates a national land use policy and which prohibits land conversion, among others.
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