Suspend Implementation of Biofuel Law
To Attain Self-Sufficiency In Rice/Food Production

Senator Rodolfo G Biazon today recommended through the filing of Senate Joint Resolution No. 11, the suspension of the implementation of the Biofuels Act of 2006 (Republic Act 9367) until such time that the country is assured that all the resources such as lands, technology, organizational structures, marketing mechanisms, including legislative responses needed to ensure the formulation of a program to attain the country's food self sufficiency, especially rice self-sufficiency are already in place.

"The present food crisis or shortage that led to a skyrocketing of the price of food globally has highlighted the food and fuel debates in the world. Food riots occurred in Burkina Fasso, Egypt, Mexico, Indonesia and in the case of Haiti, it caused the fall of the government."

"The present problem is not confined to the immediate problem of shortage and high prices of food, but more so in the coming years."

"There are indicators of the emergence of ARPEC (Association of Rice Producing and Exporting Countries) behaving like the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries).

"The world is helpless when the OPEC decides to increase the price of oil either through overproduction or underproduction causing untold sufferings among vulnerable societies. The worst can be expected if ARPEC begins to adopt a similar strategy."

"When the major rice exporting countries such as Vietnam and Thailand announced that they would curb their rice exports by as much as 30%, the price of rice sky-rocketed to as much as 167% and in some instances even higher."

"Situations such as what we are facing today dictate that the country needs to achieve self-sufficiency in its requirement for rice and reduce our vulnerability to global food shortages in the future."

"While we consume around 12 million metric tons of rice every year, the country is only able to produce around 9.78 metric tons. Over the past two decades, the trend in our importation of our basic staple has been increasing. Our country's population continues to grow and is putting more strain on our present as well as future food supply."

"Experts all over the world have also pointed out that climate change could further affect food production world wide. "

"I support our intention to develop alternative sources of energy to reduce the country's dependence on imported fuels such as the biofuels. The implementation however of the Biofuels Act of 2006 requires large areas of land and other resources for the planting of raw materials for biofuels that may compete for badly needed lands to address the country's need for rice self-sufficiency."

"I filed Senate Joint Resolution No. 11 because we need to assure ourselves, that we should first be self-sufficient in food. According to Philippine scientists from the Philippine Rice Research Institute, we can attain such objective, "Biazon concluded.