‘PUNO NA ANG GANTANGAN!’: Panay farmers decry rice price crash, demand reforms

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By Juliane Judilla

In observance of National Peasants Month, rice farmers from across Panay Island joined advocacy groups in a forum titled “Mangunguma: San-o Mapuno ang Gantangan Mo” on October 21 at the Jubilee Hall of St. Clement’s Church in La Paz, Iloilo City.

The event, organized by the Panay Network for Rice Sufficiency (PNRS), brought together farmers, researchers, and anti-corruption advocates to address the worsening conditions in rice production and systemic corruption in government agricultural programs.

Farmers reported record losses this harvest season, with palay prices dropping to as low as PHP 8.00 per kilo—far below the estimated production cost of PHP 16.99 per kilo.

Lucia Capaducio of Paghugpong sang mga Mangunguma sa Panay kag Guimaras (PAMANGGAS) opened the forum by recounting how the drop in rice prices has left many farmers deep in debt.

“The government claimed that, due to a shortage of food, rice had to be imported. But the effect was a drastic decline in the value of our local produce—and we farmers were the ones who ended up drowning in debt,” she said.

Capaducio added that despite widespread hunger among farming communities, public funds for agriculture are being funneled into overpriced farm-to-market road projects that often remain unfinished.

She attributed much of the crisis to the Rice Liberalization Law, which removed quantitative restrictions on rice imports, flooding the market with cheap foreign rice and forcing local farmers to sell at unsustainable prices.

“Before the Rice Liberalization Law was passed, during the first cropping season, palay was sold at PHP 19–21 per kilo, and milled rice at PHP 38–42 per kilo. When RLL was implemented, the price dropped to just PHP 8–12 per kilo,” she said.

The forum also spotlighted corruption in agriculture, with speakers criticizing the Marcos administration for its failure to prioritize the sector.

Former Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, now a member of the anti-corruption alliance Kahublagan Kontra Kurapsyon, said that government agricultural programs are often marred by ghost projects, overpriced equipment, and politicized aid distribution.

He called for community-based transparency systems to monitor spending and ensure accountability.

Kervin Bonganciso of MASIPAG-Visayas described the Rice Liberalization Law as a failure and proposed the Rice Industry Development Act as an alternative policy to restore rice self-sufficiency.

The proposed measure would support farmer-led production systems, agricultural research, and market regulations to protect local producers.

Forum participants demanded that government funds be redirected toward agricultural development and insisted that those involved in corruption, including officials in the current administration, be held accountable.

They emphasized the need for systemic change to address decades of injustice in the agricultural sector and demanded justice for farmers who continue to suffer under flawed policies.

The forum concluded with a march from St. Clement’s Church to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, symbolizing the farmers’ united call for urgent reforms and accountability.