Marcos Jr’s rice populism: Short-term optics, long-term hunger

August 7, 2025

The worsening reliance on imports to contain increases in domestic rice prices is a problem that will persist if the government keeps scrimping on support for rice producers.

IBON hits limited BBM Na! program

May 23, 2025

The BBM Na! program smacks of insincerity. It rations rice to poor households, scrimps on funding, and leaves out millions who also struggle to afford food.  This is far from the sweeping effort needed to make Php20 rice a reality and is just a public relations gimmick dressed up as policy.

PH rice industry under liberalization

February 13, 2025

Beyond rice price populism

September 5, 2023

The standalone rice price caps will not just be ultimately ineffective but might even backfire

PH rice industry under liberalization

February 14, 2023

Enacted four years ago, the government promised that RA11203 or the Rice Liberalization Law would improve farmers’ productivity and food security. But rice import dependency and trade deficit worsened, while rice self-sufficiency and farm gate prices fell, to the detriment of Filipino farmers.

Rice tariffication led to lost incomes

May 30, 2022

In 2020, rice farmers’ net income per hectare decreased by 30.7% in the dry season, by 37.5% in the wet season, and by 35% on the average as compared to figures in 2018. This translated to substantially lower profitability ratio for the farmers.

Rice tariffication harmed rice farmers

May 30, 2022

In 2020, rice farmers’ net income per hectare decreased by 30.7% in the dry season, by 37.5% in the wet season, and by 35% on the average as compared to figures in 2018. This translated to substantially lower profitability ratio for the farmers.

The ill logic of rice liberalization

June 25, 2021

The economic managers have been using runaway inflation to justify liberalizing rice importation. But government’s obsession with imports liberalization has only worsened the jobs crisis, loss of livelihoods, and farmers’ bankruptcy.

Filipino rice farmers need support, not liberalization

November 1, 2020

FEATURES | The government’s defeatist attitude and blind surrender to market forces is the biggest reason why Philippine rice production and domestic agriculture as a whole remains so backward