FIRM BELIEF | As farmers seek support, DAR insists P20 rice possible through mega farms

June 9, 2022 , 11:20 AM

By Beatrice Puente

(June 9, 2022) – Despite growing criticisms, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Wednesday insisted that the aspiration of President-elect Bongbong Marcos Jr. to bring down the retail cost of rice to P20 is possible through the establishment of mega farms.

DAR secretary Bernie Cruz said they carried out a study to look into the feasibility of decreasing the price of rice. In their pilot trial, Cruz said the production cost can go down from P12 to around P9.

“Puwede pang bumaba hanggang P7 at ‘pag yan ay nangyari sa mass production, kayang-kaya natin ‘yung P20,” said Cruz on One News’ The Chiefs. “Meron kaming mga experiment na ginawa at naging successful naman. Ang problema na lang talaga natin, paano natin ito gagawin nang massive.”

On Monday, Cruz opened the possibility of establishing mega farms to consolidate the production of smaller farm lots. It may be implemented in areas covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

DAR undersecretary David Erro estimated that agrarian reform beneficiaries can gain P76,501 per year with the project, which they plan to name “Programang Benteng Bigas sa Mamamayan,” otherwise called PBBM—the initials of the incoming president and son of the late dictator.

“Ang pag-aaral namin, kung gagawin natin itong tinatawag na mega farms without consolidating ‘yung land again, we can consolidate ‘yung production. Tutulungan lang natin ‘yung ating mga magsasaka na madagdagan ‘yung kanilang kaalaman sa makabagong teknolohiya,” explained Cruz.

But Cathy Estavillo, the spokesperson of Bantay Bigas, pointed out that agriculture officials must do more to address the woes of the sector. She noted that the recent statements issued by Department of Agriculture secretary William Dar merely seek to “condition the minds” of the people.

Dar said bringing down the cost of rice is not possible yet unless the production expenses are decreased.

“Mukhang nakakahiya sa bahagi niya bilang siya ‘yung agriculture secretary na siya dapat ‘yung talagang mag-e-ensure ng food security natin pero pinapangunahan na niya ‘yung millers, traders, at saka retailers sa pagtataas ng presyo ng bigas,” said Estavillo on Ted Failon and DJ Chacha sa Radyo 5.

Market prices of regular-milled rice currently stands at P38 to P40, based on the monitoring of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

Estavillo said the government must address the costs of production if it wants to boost the production of farmers. She added that the dependence on imported fertilizers, pesticides, and other production necessities will factor in any further increase in prices in the country.

If the administration can allocate funds for infrastructure projects, Estavillo said public officials should also give equal priority to the agriculture sector.

“Tanging sa pagpapalakas ng ating industriya sa agrikultura, sa lokal na produksyon mapapawi itong malalim na kagutuman na nararanasan ng malawak na bilang ng Pilipino, lalo na ng mga magsasaka,” said Estavillo.

(PM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.