TextThe militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) chided Malacanang in trying to project an image that it cares for the masse by ordering the National Food Authority (NFA) to peg the pice of NFA rice to P16 and well milled rice at P18. According to Ka Willy Marbella, spokesperson of KMP, “this is really nothing but lip service and “consuelo de bobo” by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The price of rice will definitely increase because of the ripple effect of the new taxes that she is trying to impose, especially the VAT,”

“Besides Gloria also wants to privatize the NFA,if that happens then the little service that it does to consumers and farmers will be entirely eliminated. Lest we forget if any price increase occurs in any of the basic necessities rice, sardines and noodles among others we only have Gloria to blame and her accomplices in Congress and the Senate,” added the peasant leader.

“Also, further importation which seems to be the government’s answer to growing demand, will not help but would aggravate the status of our food security because it makes us more and more dependent on imports of other countries. If they decide not to import then we will starve. The key in solving our food security issue, is to increase the land alloted for our staple food but not use hybrid varieties  because it causes undue damage to other crops and the soil.It also leaves farmers at the mercy of agro-chemical corporations like Monsanto, Cargill and Syngenta,” expounded Marbella.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of the group, “with the deluge of new taxes being imposed by Malacanang it is not far of that a tax revolt and a spate of civil disobedience protests would be launched by the populace,

“The people are barely hanging on with a “tatlong kahig, isang tuka” existence, it is high time that we make the Macapagal-Arroyo regime pay,” ended Ala. # # # 
 

KMP - 7 March 2005