Press Release
November 22, 2018

Transcript of interview with Sen. Cynthia Villar
(After bicam on coco levy, rice tariffication bills)

Q: Ano po ang nangyari sa bicam? Ano po ang salient features, na-retain po ba ang P10 billion?

Villar: Of course. Iyon ang pinakaimportante diba? Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, at saka iyong GAA appropriations for the coconut farmers. Pareho silang P10 billion.

Q: Both bills approved na po ng bicam?

Villar: Tatlong bills kasi we divided the coconut bill into two. One for the benefit of the industry and one for the coco levy fund.

Q: Sa rice tariffication, na-adopt po ba ang Senate version?

Villar: Yes.

Q: Tapos 35% tariff?

Villar: That's the provision for ASEAN. But in other countries it's higher. Kasi may limit sila, mas mababa ang ASEAN.

Q: May naalis ba sa Senate version?

Villar: Clarification lang, hindi talaga of substance lang iyon. Like, they want to ensure that the NFA will buy buffer stocking from the local farmers. They want it specifies there.

Q: Meron daw misconception sa rice tariffication? Parang nagkaroon ang ibang farmers that the bill is against them.

Villar: Why?

Q: May nagra-rally sa labas sabi nila baka dumating ang pagkakataon na wala na silang chance makipag-compete.

Villar: Kaya nga may Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund because we analyzed why they are not competitive. Based on study kaya hindi sila competitive, mahal ang kanilang labor cost compared to Vietnam. So we are going to mechanize. So half, P5 billion of the P10 billion will go to mechanization so that they can compete. Because that is the highest cost difference, iyong labor. And then P3 billion will go to seeds. Tuturuan silang maging seed growers ng inbred seeds ng PhilRice. That will increase their harvest from 4 metric tons to 6 metric tons per hectare.

Q: Na-misinformed lang ang mga farmers?

Villar: Hindi nila binasa. Masyado sila ano na tinatanggal daw ang power ng NFA, tapos bakit daw binigay sa PhilMech at PhilRice iyong budget. Sila naman talaga ang agency na kinreate (create) ng AFMA at AFMECH, sila iyong 2 agency na kinreate to take care of mechanization and to take care of development of seeds. Hindi naman nila naintindihan na iyon naman talaga ang agency na dapat pagbigyan. It's still under the Department of Agriculture but inispecify na namin ang agency na pagbibigyan para sigurado na sila ang responsible so mahahanap natin kapag hindi na-implement kung sino responsible.

Q: Ano ang magse-serve as safeguards talaga na nakadiretso ang farmers?

Villar: Under the mechanization, ang ibibigay sa kanila ay tractor, transplanter, harvester, dryer, milling. That means kung gusto na nilang i-turn ang kanilang produkto to rice, they can do it. And kung sa coop ito ibibigay, iyong coop nila makipag-usap na sa retailers na diretso na sila. They will supply diretso sa mga consumer and retailers. Strategy na nila iyon. Hindi naman kailangan na lahat gawin natin para sa kanila, that's common sense that if you want to get more for your product, you go direct to buyers.

Q: Ito kahit individual member or farmer?

Villar: The machine will be given to association of farmers, cooperatives. It cannot be given to individuals kasi machine iyan, mahal iyan. We have identified 1,100 rice-producing towns. Iyon ang bibigyan lahat at ang unang choice ay ibigay sa coop or their organization. Kung wala iyon, we will be forced to give it to the local government kasi kasalanan nila hindi sila nag-form ng coop or organizations. The only agency we could it to would be the local government.

Q: Pwede pa ba silang mag-organize?

Villar: Yes.

Q: Ano po ang overall assessment ninyo sa bicam?

Villar: Syempre gusto lang nilang i-clarify lang ang provision namin kasi mas detalyado sa Senado. Nakita nyo naman ang interpellation, inisa-isa ang lahat ng section doon. So kinlarify lang nila ang mga ginawa naming amendment.

Q: Kelan ang expected ratification?

Villar: They will prepare, kasi matrabaho iyong pag-final kasi ang daming questions. They hope to finish it this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Then we will route it to the members of the bicam para kapag napirmahan, then we ratify.

Q: You will ratify it before session break?

Villar: Of course. Matagal pa tayo, December pa tayo. Sa Monday is November 26.

Q: Magiging ganap na batas iyon bago matapos ang taon?

Villar: Yes. It's a certified bill. They are waiting for it.

Q: Paano po ang representation sa coconut levy?

Villar: Eight from the government, DA, DOF, DBM, NEDA, DTI, DOST, Landbank and DBP.

Q: Ilan po ang farmer representatives?

Villar: Six; 2 from Luzon, 2 from Visayas, 2 from Mindanao. One from the private sector. So a total of 15.

Q: Kanina sa Blue Ribbon may sinayt (cite) si Senator Gordon na five individuals for not attending the hearings. Ang susunod daw doon arrest na.

Villar: Siguro naman kapag sinayt sila for contempt, dadating na sila para hindi sila maaresto. Ayaw daw mag-attend eh.

Q: Tingin ninyo marami pang kailangan dito sa hearing o okay na ang 20 hearings on the shabu shipment?

Villar: Hindi ako masyadong familiar sa shabu except I'm the only senator here to provide the quorum so they can ask for contempt. So ako ang natawag. Ako nagba-bicam on important bills also, rice and coconut. Do you know that the coconut farmers and the rice farmers compose 90% of all our farmers in the Philippines. Very important ang bill that will help them.

Q: How will this bill help them?

Villar: One is, iyong mga coconut farmers ibibigay na sa kanila ang cocolevy fund at the rate of P5 billion a year for the next 25 years. Iyong industry naman pumayag na silang mag-allocate ng P10 billion a year for the benefit of the coconut industry. Naka-earmark kung saan dadalhin. Sa rice farmer naman, meron tayong Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund na P10 billion a year so hopefully, kapag hindi pa tayo nagtagumpay dito, ewan ko kung paano pa tayo magtatagumpay. I hope we will be successful na. Because we are trying a relatively different model. Anyway, after six years pareho sila na subject to review after 6 years. Kung mali tayo, then we can enact another law. We try another model again until we find the solution to their problem.

Q: Wala nang threat na ibi-veto ni Presidente?

Villar: Hindi na. Naayos nang lahat.

Q: Wala bang effect iyong conviction ni Mrs. Marcos sa support ninyo? O sa pagtanggap ng Nacionalista Party kay Governor Imee?

Villar: Okay naman. Iba naman iyon, it's a case. Sa amin naman talagang ang partido ni President Marcos noon NP when he won the presidency.

Q: Kapag naglilibot kayo, kasama ninyo siya bumababa ba ang reception sa kanya ng tao?

Villar: Hindi naman. Marami din naman nagkamali sa bansa natin na ibiniboto rin.

Q: How would the tariffication help reduce inflation?

Villar: Kasi liberalized ang importation of rice. Ngayon maski na iyong mga supermarket they can import. Gusto nga natin walang kontrol kung sino ang magi-import. Kasi minsan kapag kinokontrol mo ang importation nakakaimport lang ang certain people tapos kinacartel nila. Ito wala na ito. We want to break the cartel.

Q: Ibig sabihin bababa ang rice?

Villar: Yes kasi talagang ang rice mas mura sa abroad kaysa dito sa Philippines. Kung they will do it the right way, mas mura kaya lang hindi doing it the right way kaya mahal pa rin.

Q: Magiging sufficient na rin ang supply?

Villar: Yes, if we are successful in the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. Katulad noong seeeds. The seeds can increase their harvest from 4 metric tons per hectare to 6. That's 50% increase in productivity. We are rice-sufficient if we can do that. Of course, we cannot expect to do that in the first year but over six years baka makaya natin iyon na we are rice sufficient. Because our short is only 7%. And this will increase production by 50%.

Q: Kapag nag-stabilize na magkano na lang ang presyo?

Villar: Magkano ba ngayon ang presyo? Siguro 40, 42 ganyan iyan. Dati 38 diba. Kasi ang puhunan is 25.

Q: Kapag naging okay na under the tariffication, mas bababa pa?

Villar: Mas bababa pa. Tingin ko siguro 40.

Q: Ano ang role ng NFA under tariffication?

Villar: Mamimili sila ng rice sa local farmers to maintain ang buffer stock ng Pilipinas. Iyon na, wala nang importation.

Q: Hindi na sila magbibigay ng license?

Villar: Hindi na, liberalized na. As long as you get a phytosanitary permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry, tapos magbabayad ka ng tariff, you can import.

Q: Magkakaroon pa rin ba ng NFA Council?

Villar: Wala na iyon. Iyong ating economic team will work with NFA to tell them anong buffer stocking ang kailangan, pino-project kung ano ang kailangan every year.

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