A TikTok post claiming a drop in rice prices under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. failed to provide context about the rice being sold at P20 per kilo, which is only available through the Department of Agriculture’s Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) marketing initiative, and in selected KNP centers.
The Philippines should call for “fair rules of the game” at the food and fertilizer market. The Philippine should defend its right, in its relations with the US and European Union, to access food and agricultural products without paying attention to the political aspect.
We are of course only scratching the surface of the problem here. Food security and food waste are also grave ecological issues.
Investigators of the alleged overpricing of seafood sold by vendors to tourists in Virgin Island in Panglao discovered that no vendors in the island have the necessary business permits from the local government unit.
The food crisis is the real threat due to the conflict in Ukraine. Sanctions could hurt not just the Russians but the entire world due to financial and market disruptions.