KIKO ON FOOD CRISIS: FOCUS ON MINDANAO, LOOK INTO PRIVATIZING NFA

With queues of more than 3000 people in a single NFA store in Cotabato, and with children in Lanao del Sur settling for camote or corn just to eat once a day, Senate Majority Leader and Independent senator Kiko Pangilinan today cited the worsening food crisis situation in the Mindanao region and called on government to "firmly make a political decision and immediately craft a policy that would ensure adequate food supply in the ARMM and adjacent areas."

"The United Nations World Food Programme cites that nearly 56.9% of Filipino families don't have enough food to eat and the numbers are even higher in Mindanao at 64.2%.With a weak peace process and hunger at an all time high because of food prices, we are looking at a time bomb that must be addressed before it explodes," Kiko said.

"The problem why rice distribution and rice pricing is so inefficient is because the NFA is a licensing and trading agency as well. These functions could be decentralized to hasten the process. We need to look into the viability of privatizing NFA so as to promote a more transparent bidding process and its tender in the international market, and to ensure that the supply reaches the market, especially those in the poorest areas," Kiko added.

"Lastly, we need to move DSWD into implementing accordingly its promise of instituting programs in all areas in Mindanao. We need a concerted effort to mitigate the food crisis and our lead agencies need to step up. We can't be all talk in a situation that requires action. Let's target areas that are more in need of intervention, set our priorities straight, explore new methods of solving the problem, and work together to end this menace, now is the time to identify solutions and implement them. Now is the time to mobilize the entire government bureaucracy to solve hunger related problems and provide real, tangible results. The consequence of failing to deliver is to condemn our nation's poor folk to despair, desolation and death."Kiko ended