Ka Leody de Guzman, presidential candidate of the Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) and the Laban ng Masa coalition, on Thursday warned against the spiraling prices of food and agricultural products with the onslaught of Typhoon Maring in Northern Luzon.
In an earlier tweet, De Guzman anticipated an increase in food prices that will worsen the poverty of farmers and ordinary consumers as they fall victim to unjust profiteering by scrupulous traders.
“Let us be proactive in preventing the increase in food and vegetable prices that usually happens after typhoons hit Northern Luzon. Monitor traders that buy cheap from calamity-stricken farmers and sell high to urban areas due to low supply. Nutrition is of the utmost concern during a pandemic,” said De Guzman.
Most agricultural products in Metro Manila, such as rice and vegetables such as garlic, cabbage, carrots, and lettuce, are sourced from the typhoon-hit areas, which prompted De Guzman to call for more aggressive state intervention to aid the affected farmers and the consumers.
“A recent study by the Bangko Sentral noted the critical role of the agriculture sector in North Luzon to our economic recovery from the pandemic. Government should take the lead in addressing the plight of the badly-affected farmers,” he said.
“It could mobilize the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to replace damaged agricultural assets and produce. Landbank and the Development Bank of the Philippines should provide calamity loans at zero interest. Farmer’s cooperatives should be enticed to venture into distribution not just in food production,” added de Guzman.
The labor leader also appealed for solidarity and civic response to help our distressed fellow Filipinos.
“We are calling on the government and the people. Let us support our farmers. The organizations to which I am part of, want to help all those in need but we could only do so much. More than ever, we need bayanihan to help farmers and consumers, for the betterment of all our countrymen,” de Guzman ended.