BACOLOD CITY – Amid rising prices of food and other basic items, government intervention is needed to help – but not burden – farmers and sugar millers, former Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson stressed Friday.
Lacson called for more interventions like those done by some local government units (LGUs) of buying crops from farmers at higher prices than those offered by middlemen and traders.
“The government must intervene the right way if the sugar industry, particularly the millers, face a crisis… The intervention must be to help and not burden them,” he said in Filipino in an interview with Bombo Radyo Bacolod here.
Related: Ping Lacson: Government Intervention Dapat Tumulong, Hindi Maging Pahirap sa Magsasaka at Sugar Millers
He cited as an example of the right intervention the case of Davao del Norte, where the LGU buys crops from farmers at higher prices than the middlemen, and sells the produce to consumers.
“This helps the consumers because they can buy produce at lower prices. And this helps the farmers because they can sell their produce at higher prices,” he said in Filipino, in an interview on Dumaguete-based radio station DYGB.
Lacson earlier said he is studying legislation to institutionalize the Kadiwa store system, which jibes with such farm-to-market intervention.
But Lacson also pushed for fewer government interventions that burden farmers, like allowing the importation of sugar and other agricultural products.
“We allow onions and garlic to rot then we throw them away. Then we import the same commodities. Isn’t that ridiculous?” he added.
He also scored the issuance of permits by the Sugar Regulatory Administration to import sugar during milling season.
He said it was good that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had government buy milled sugar at a good price.
“This should be the role of government – to intervene not in favor of importers but our farmers and millers. Sometimes we cannot understand our regulatory bodies whose intervention turns out to do more harm than good to the industry,” he said.
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Ping Lacson: Government Intervention Dapat Tumulong, Hindi Maging Pahirap sa Magsasaka at Sugar Millers
BACOLOD CITY – Ngayo’y pataas ng pataas ang presyo ng pagkain at ibang pangunahing bilihin, kailangan nang mamagitan ang gobyerno – pero dapat nito tiyaking ito ay makakatulong at hindi maging dagdag na pahirap sa mga magsasaka at sugar millers, ayon kay dating Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Biyernes.
Nanawagan si Lacson ng government intervention tulad ng ginagawa ng ilang local government units (LGUs) na bumibili ng ani sa magsasaka sa mas mataas na presyo kumpara sa presyo ng mga middlemen.
“Ang sugar industry ang kailangan dito mag-intervene ang gobyerno kung nahihirapan o may crisis especially ang millers… At saka dapat intervention ng gobyerno, tulungan, hindi para pahirapan,” aniya sa panayam sa Bombo Radyo Bacolod dito.
Isang halimbawa ng tamang government intervention, aniya, ang sa Davao del Norte, kung saan ang LGU ay bumibili ng ani sa magsasaka sa mas mataas na presyo kumpara sa middlemen, at ibebenta ito sa konsyumer.
“Nakatulong sa consumer, mababa ang presyo. Nakatulong sa farmers, kasi mas mataas ang presyo ng bili nila,” aniya sa panayam sa Dumaguete-based radio station DYGB.
“Pag meron tayong crisis sa basic commodities, dapat mag-intervene ang government… Ang gobyerno, dapat mag-intervene hindi para pahirapan,” dagdag niya.
Iginiit ni Lacson na pinagaaralan niya kung paano ma-institutionalize sa pamamagitan ng batas ang Kadiwa store system, na sang-ayon sa ganitong farm-to-market intervention.
Nguni’t idiniin din ni Lacson na hindi dapat gawin ng gobyerno ang intervention na makakaperwisyo sa magsasaka, tulad ng pagpayag sa pag-import ng asukal at ibang produktong agrikultural.
“Ang sibuyas at bawang, nabubulok at itatapon, tapos nag-i-import naman tayo ng sibuyas. Di ba kalokohan?” aniya.
Binanatan din ni Lacson ang paglabas ng Sugar Regulatory Administration ng permit para mag-import ng asukal sa milling season.
Aniya, mabuti na lang at inutos ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na bilhin ng gobyerno ang milled na asukal sa patas na presyo.
“Ganoon dapat role ng govt, di ang parang sinasadya pang paboran ang importer… Kasi minsan ang regulatory bodies natin hindi natin maintindihan nag-intervene sila para pahirapan ang kanilang nire-regulate na industry sa halip na tulungan,” aniya.
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