Roxas reiterates call for special ASEAN Rice Summit

Senator Mar Roxas reiterated his call for the Department of Foreign Affairs to formally propose a special ASEAN Leaders' Summit on Rice and Food Security in light of the impending creation of an Asian rice cartel known as OREC or Organization of Rice Exporting Countries led by Thailand.

Roxas, chair of the Senate trade and commerce committee, said the ASEAN must move as one in helping secure regional food security in light of soaring oil and rice prices.

"Neglecting to act as a regional bloc amid a rice and food crisis can raise doubts in the minds of other world leaders on ASEAN's determination to pursue economic integration," Roxas stressed.

"Before OREC is institutionalized, the ASEAN community must weigh in as a regional bloc to obtain trade privileges with its fellow members in keeping with the ASEAN spirit," Roxas said, adding that it would be unfortunate if the ASEAN bloc where the two biggest rice exporting countries in the world are members of, could not forge a common agenda on rice and food security.

He noted that the countries that would initially comprise OREC are all ASEAN members. According to the Thai government, four countries, namely, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam have agreed in principle to form a rice price-fixing cartel similar to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The senator said that even if Vietnam and Thailand have agreed to accept the Philippines' order for 1.2 million metric tons, the government should still confirm whether such shipments are iron-clad despite the formation of OREC.

"We need to see the bill of particulars governing these orders to check whether there are fixed dates for delivery and a firm, iron-clad commitment to meet the order," Roxas added.

Senator Roxas recommends that the DFA seek a briefing from the Thai Embassy on how the creation of an OREC would affect rice importing countries such as the Philippines.

"Given the cordial relations between and among the Philippines and these five ASEAN countries, we should take a more proactive role in clarifying the role of OREC and whether it is prepared to give concessions to fellow ASEAN members," Roxas said.

Friday, May 2, 2008 | posted in asean, cambodia, dfa, food crisis, laos, mar roxas, myanmar, opec, orec, philippines, rice crisis, thailand, vietnam | 1 comments [ More ]

Roxas: Self-sufficiency key to solving rice crisis

Senator Mar Roxas, who arrived in Lucena, Quezon this morning, said rice self-sufficiency was the key in dealing with the rice crisis that has hit the country and has brought up prices by as much as P8 in the past two months.

“Kung dito pa lang sa atin, self-sufficient tayo sa ating pangangailangan ng bigas, hindi na tayo maaapektuhan sa kahit anong presyo o supply sa pandaigdigang merkado,” Roxas said.

“Nasa irigasyon, nasa suporta sa magsasaka para makabili ng tamang fertilizer at pesticide ang solusyon, na sa ganoon ang pangkaraniwang ani ay maitaas natin, mula 2.5 na tonelada bawat hektarya sa ngayon, hanggang sa pinakamaganda talaga na anim na tonelada bawat hektarya,” he added.

The senator participated in a dialogue with marketgoers at the Lucena City Public Market in the morning, after which he attended a town hall meeting in the Provincial Capitol upon the invitation of Quezon Gov. Raffy Nantes. Also present were Quezon Vice-Governor Kelly Portes, Quezon 2nd Dist. Rep. Procy Alcala, as well as various mayors, vice-mayors, councilors and barangay captains, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) for the environment, social services, rural development, health, and women and children protection.

After the consultation, the local leaders led by Gov. Nantes, signed and presented provincial resolutions to the senator declaring their full support for his bills calling for the suspension of the value-added tax (VAT) on oil products and a tax exemption for minimum wagers, as well as the immediate passage of the proposed Quality Affordable Medicines Act.

Roxas, the Liberal Party President, congratulated Gov. Nantes, a fellow Liberal, for his responsiveness in dealing with the situation. “Maganda talaga ang ekonomiya rito sa Quezon. May balanced spending, at focused spending – hindi patingi-tingi ang pagpondo sa mga importanteng programa at proyekto. Maraming pera sa bulsa ng mga mamamayan dahil sa masasaganang ani,” he said.

Roxas said the national government should follow Quezon’s example, for self-sufficiency and productivity to occur on a wider scale. “Una sa lahat, kailangang harapin ng gobyerno ang problema. Ano ba ang problema? Ang kakulangan ng supply ng bigas dito sa atin. Dapat nang kumilos at mag-focus ang paggastos para hindi na tayo aasa sa mga imported na bigas,” he said.

He noted that even though the government has spent billions annually on rice production, this has not been done in the most efficient manner. “Bagamat may badyet para sa National Irrigation Administration, National Food Authority, Department of Agriculture at iba pang ahensya, taon-taon ay nag-aangkat pa rin ng 2 milyon toneladang bigas, dahil kulang talaga ang produksyon dito,” he said.

“Mas mabuti na ang ating mga magsasaka ang maikikinabang sa pagbili ng bigas, kaysa sa ibigay ang pera na ito sa mga magsasaka at exporter ng Thailand at Vietnam,” he added.

Thursday, April 24, 2008 | posted in arthur yap, cheaper medicines bill, e-vat, kelly portes, lucena city, luzon, mar roxas, oil, pgma, philippines, president, procy alcala, quezon, raffy nantes, rice crisis, thailand, vietnam | 0 comments [ More ]