Mabel at Your Service public affairs program of Councilor Mabel Sunga Acosta aired every Sunday through DXAB 1296 khz. Featured the issues concerning the rapid increase of rice prices during its May 4, 2008 edition.
The panel of guests invited during the program was NFA Assistant Manager Mr. Felimon T., Cangreto, GRECON National Secretary Salvio “Bing” Arguelles, GRECON, Region XI Director Mr. Pablo Gonzales Jr., GRECON Municipal President Mr. Fermin Labrador and DTI Officer in Charge Ms. Marizon S. Loreto.
During the program, NFA Assistant Manager, Mr. Felimon Cangrieto discussed the reasons why there has been a rapid rice price increase. He also said that there are rice stocks but these are "scarce and not enough” resulting to last year’s NFA importation of four million sacks, of rice.
Grains Confederation of the Philippines (Grecon) XI Regional Director Mr. Pablo “Dodong” Gonzales, Jr., suggested that government should start monitoring palay buyers and millers, who he said are controlling the stocks and prices of rice in the country.
He said millers in Davao City are only selling well-milled and fancy rice and not the regular milled rice that is affordable to the middle class. As a result, she said, the middle class are now buying NFA rice, which are intended for indigent families.
DTI Officer in Charge Ms. Marizon Loreto said, DTI had already foreseen prices to increase until the end of the year and advised consumers to streamline their budget to survive the effects of increasing prices. She assured government is studying the possibility of lowering tariffs to cushion the impact of rising prices.
She further explained that under a free market policy, government cannot set a price ceiling for traders except in times of calamities. Traders can only be held accountable for gross excessive pricing of their products.
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