00:00It is expected that the price of rice will go down in the elections.
00:04This is in front of the national food security emergency.
00:08But how will the government do this?
00:11Let's find out in the news segment of Christian Bascones.
00:17The Filipinos are about to feel the price of rice.
00:21This is following the declaration of the NFA of the Food Security Emergency on Rice yesterday.
00:26This declaration is intended to influence the price of rice in the market.
00:30The National Food Authority is consulting all participating LGUs across the country
00:36so that the allocation can be sent to them immediately.
00:39As of now, the NFA has already sent communication to the LGUs.
00:45We sent a letter inviting them to participate.
00:49So far in NCR, including Cavite, because the NFA includes Cavite in NCR,
00:56we have already sent 53 letters and we are waiting for the reply of the LGUs
01:04so we can ascertain who are the interested to participate.
01:09It is estimated that 150,000 metric tons of rice will be sent to the local governments.
01:16The NFA will sell rice to the LGUs for P33 per kilo
01:21and it can be sold to the LGUs for P35.
01:27The NFA expects that the sale will start next week.
01:33The Department of Agriculture, Assistant Secretary Engineer Arnel De Mesa made it clear
01:38that the NFA did not declare the Food Security Emergency on Rice
01:42because of the lack of stocks, but because of the high prices in the markets.
01:49The Food Security Emergency is only because of the extraordinary increase in the price of rice
01:58and not because of the lack of rice supply in the country
02:03that the Republic Act 12078 or the amendment to the Rice Tarification Law.
02:09According to the NFA, compared to the first recommendation of the National Price Coordinating Council
02:14of P38 per kilo, it is being lowered.
02:18In his explanation, the lowering of the price is to create space for the storage of the NFA
02:24as a preparation for the coming year.
02:28Christian Bascones for Pambansang TV in Bagong, Philippines.
