Rice subsidies to farmers:Proof of DAR's failure

We, as a people, have always found ways to make a mark even in the international scene. We’ve been receiving heaps of praises for Charice’s performances abroad. Manny Pacquiao’s successes also saw the renaissance of boxing in the country. Unequivocally, his phenomenal rise paved the way for other boxers’ quest for their rise out of poverty. They certainly are in the right path to economic freedom.

But how many Pacquiaos, et. al. are there in our midst today? Truth to tell, it is way below 1% of 1% of the entire population. Save for a handful of middle class and a pinch of those whom we call the elite, 90% of the rest maybe considered as the socialites among mendicants. The remaining 10% of the unfortunates are simply referred to as “beggars” or “panhandlers”. Apparently, the “ups” are few while the “downs” are aplenty. Consequently, when crisis looms, we are severely hit. Crushed and mangled, all accusing fingers are pointed to one direction – poverty. Making matters worst is our propensity to focus on poverty at face value not its roots. Naturally, whatever initiatives we try to implement could not even put a tiny dent in its surface.

In our solitude, we can even wonder if all these acts are deliberate and are just orchestrated. The possibility that our government leaders are not seriously considering any solution to free them (the poor) from bondage would, in fact, even be a big truth. After all, having poverty makes it handy for politicians to have a platform in every election – poverty alleviation.

In the past, to earn votes, politicians promote “a dole-out mentality” to take a tighter grip of their elective positions. This new government is seemingly not different. In September of last year, the Aquino government had subserviently acceded to the traditional politicians’ ways. Worst, this government tried to clip the wings of the National Food Authority (NFA) by transferring the agency’s annual P8-billion rice procurement subsidy and consequently expanding that of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). This simply means, the same “dole-outs” to the same panhandlers but taken out from the other pocket. Consequently, it rendered NFA practically useless and unnecessary.

Apart from the uncertainty of NFA’s fate, what were then more ironically disturbing were Sec. Soliman’s two very critical statements. That first, “the DSWD would use the funds to distribute rice or cash to the poor”. Secondly, “beneficiaries would even include farmers and fishermen who, she said, were also suffering from scarce rice supply”.

If distributing rice is already bad, giving money is really worst. When cash will be in panhandlers’ hands, anything can happen. Either they gamble or buy stuffs that are totally unnecessary. Worst, recently, some beneficiaries were reportedly selling their future monthly subsidies at a discount.

Ironically, true to her words, the generous secretary is now about to distribute rice to the farmers, rice farmers included. Giving rice to a rice producer? This is a very insulting turn of events. This scenario simply means that farmers who are probably beneficiaries in other bondage-emancipating programs will enjoy too in this “dole-out” schemes.

If memory won’t fail us, one of the more popular programs of all governments-that is from Ramon Magsaysay to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo- has been the land for the landless program. While these governments had termed it differently in their stay, the ultimate objective is the same.   Supposedly, in trying to empower them by owning the lands they till, they will not only free themselves out of poverty, they shall be able help this country attain food-sufficiency.

On the contrary, however, instead of helping this country be self-sufficient, we are continuing to subsidize this program. All these years, the beneficiaries have continued to behave like slaves when in fact, money-wise, this government had already spent a lot to free them. Worst, they’ve started to act like mendicants by raking in over P4.0 billion in annual subsidy through the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

On top of these dole-outs, the Land Bank of the Philippines had earmarked P198 million for loans in 2009 to agrarian reform beneficiarie. The project dubbed, Agri-enterprise Credit and Agri-finance Services (agriCASH), is reportedly “aimed to provide financial services to agri-based enterprises in Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) through selected countryside financial institutions, ARC cooperatives, LandBank-assisted cooperatives, and other lending conduits”.

Through this project, LandBank intend to release up to PhP198 million in loans from 2009 to 2012. It is also expected to “mobilize savings and generate share capital totaling PhP33 million for the three-year period. Notably, we can’t help but agree with LandBank’s president and chief executive officer Gilda E. Pico who said that the project could “further help sustain the improvements on increased incomes, agribusiness employment opportunities, and empowerment of agrarian reform beneficiaries and farmer organizations in ARCs”. However, what is disturbing in this project is the fact that through a memorandum agreement, this shall be again supervised by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

With all these annual budgets for many years now and the LandBank’s financial assistance, what has so far been achieved? Except for a few, some lands are abandoned. Others groups of beneficiaries who organized themselves into cooperatives are not cultivating them. Ironically, some of these beneficiaries are leasing out their lands and content themselves by simply earning rental. Now, some portions are cultivated. Sarcastically, however, non-beneficiaries of CARP maintain these. These non-beneficiaries are mostly entrepreneurs and are profitably cultivating the same land where the beneficiaries failed.    This scenario isn’t difficult to comprehend. It simply means that these beneficiaries haven’t abandoned yet the mentality of slaves and haven’t buried the attitude of mendicants. Supposedly, they are now free to till the land they own and be successful entrepreneurs.

Absolutely, with this new “dole-out” initiative of Sec. Soliman, the beneficiaries’ state of mind can go from bad to worst. Agrarian reform beneficiaries will now be more unproductive as they shall leisurely wait for DSWD’s dole-outs.

With this development, what is imperative now is for this government to let other line agencies (like DTI, DA, DOST, et.) get involve and help equip these beneficiaries with sound entrepreneurial skills by taking a more holistic and comprehensive approach. We should develop successful new farmers by providing them experience-based production and sound business-management training. Such training must include among others, concerns in production, business, ecology and environment.   Training on production should include planting, harvesting, irrigation system, livestock, etc. Business trainings must include marketing, finances, budgeting, etc. To ensure success, this government must provide the necessary infrastructure, such as, irrigation, storage facilities, transport equipment, packing and processing facilities.

Once and for all, this government should be straightforward. In the past, we all know that our former presidents tasked DAR (which have been ran by ideologues) to take the lead in this poverty alleviation program for some ulterior motives. With this new government’s recent dole-out initiative, the situation may even aggravate. While we all know that our country’s leaders need these ideologues’ political support because of their mass base, the beneficiaries’ betterment and self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship are still paramount and necessary. Absolutely, we need programs that promote self-sufficiency not mendicancy.

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