LEADERS of the “Young Guns” bloc in the House of Representatives is 100 percent behind Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s order to launch a probe on the widening gap between farm gate prices and retail prices of rice and other basic goods, as this would benefit both farmers and consumers.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong thanked Speaker Romualdez for paving the way for the investigation, as he believed that it would bring the concerns of Filipino farmers to the fore.
“Unfortunately, our farmers continue to be among the more vulnerable sectors of our society. That means they need all the help and attention that they can get from leaders in government. Our Speaker understands this. Ang puso niya ay para sa maliliit na Pilipino, tulad ng mga magsasaka,” Adiong said.
Farm gate prices refer to the prices received by farmers once their crops are sold at the farm’s location. Retail prices, on the other hand, are the prices that consumers pay for products, particularly in small quantities.
“This means that there is a delicate balance between farm gate prices and retail prices,” said Davao Oriental 2nd District Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario, a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food. The committee is scheduled to hold the investigation in aid of legislation once sessions resume next week.
“For farm gate prices to be low, and retail prices to be high is the worst case scenario since it hurts both the farmer and the consumer. If this is truly the case then House probe will nip this problem in the bud. That’s why we fully support it and I am personally eager to join the discussions and help the panel get to the bottom of the matter,” Almario added.
Another Young Gun is Assistant Majority Leader and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon, a lawyer, said that the upcoming inquiry is part of the House of Representatives’ oversight function, which had been strengthened under Romualdez’s Speakership.
“The House under the Romualdez leadership doesn’t sit idle as middlemen make a killing to the detriment of agricultural workers and consumers. We proved this in our exhaustive investigations on the onion price surge of the last quarter of 2022, and on the issue of agricultural smuggling in general. We unmasked a cartel and held its unscrupulous partners in government accountable,” Bongalon said.
“If we have to invest months of marathon hearings into this inquiry again then so be it. Hindi uubra ang ganitong klaseng pang-aagrabyado sa mamamayan,” he added.
Deputy Majority Leader and Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Party-list Rep. Margarita “Atty. Migs” Nograles agreed with Speaker Romualdez and his Young Gun-colleagues that an investigation on the widening gap between farm gate prices and retail prices is in order.
“This huge gap in farm gate and retail prices smacks of abuse and utter disregard for the welfare of fellow Filipinos. Malalaman natin sa imbestigasyon kung sino ang hindi nagpakita ng malasakit,” Nograles said.
“Our goal is to halt this apparent profiteering and to implement the laws where they apply,” she noted.
