Just as the news about global and local hunger incidence came out, the scoop about the P1.2 billion smuggled rice intercepted in Cebu was in the headlines.
Globally, 870 million people go without food each day. Here in our country, one person of six goes hungry, according to Aurea Miclat-Teves, National Food Coalition (NFC) convener. The actual number may be more. The SWS survey noted more than 4 million Filipinos reported going hungry and again, the actual number could really be more.
Then comes the good news of smuggled rice worth P1.2 billion intercepted in Cebu. Wow! How many millions of Filipinos can be fed with these huge amounts of smuggled high quality rice? What a happy treat if the PNoy administration will instead and immediately channel the rice for the Pantawid Gutom Program for the hungry millions! Or, they can sell the rice to DSWD for a pittance, but it is certainly much better to just donate immediately, urgently, for the hungry millions!
If this government sells the smuggled rice to the highest bidder, isn't this government legitimizing smuggling? Is it possible that the well-organized and well-funded smugglers may have all along planned this scheme, for Customs to find the rice, sell to bidders who may also have connections anyway with the smugglers?
What irony if what was originally an illegal act of smuggling may become legitimate with government itself opening the wide door for smuggling related dealers to bid back the confiscated smuggled rice!
Government does not need to raise bad revenues from illegally smuggled goods. For this particular case, perhaps, the smuggled rice IS the manna that hungry millions of Filipinos urgently, immediately need?
Rather than bidding off the smuggled rice, by channeling the rice instead to feed millions of Filipinos through the DSWD, this government will not only clearly signal their serious campaign versus abusive smugglers, this government will also demonstrate their sincere intention to feed our hungry millions.
Hence, the timing of the arrival of the smuggled rice and the release of the hunger report about our people can be viewed as providential. The Lord always provides!
Hopefully, this government will feed our hungry millions with this manna in the form of smuggled rice. And may this government proceed with the honest service of stopping smuggling and with the sincere service of alleviating hunger and poverty!
In connection with the hunger report, the poverty statistics reported recently drew much criticism and comments, especially from politicians and candidates.
Poverty is evident even without surveys made, the critics noted. Then they proceeded to put all the blame on PNoy and his administration for failing to solve poverty.
It is interesting to note that many of those who criticized had the opportunity to assist our poor as incumbent or former members of Congress or as local officials. If only public funds were honestly and systematically prioritized and channeled first for food production, distribution, and for food security, then so many millions would have been fed daily!
If only genuine and effectively working irrigation systems were assured first and of urgent priority, in all agricultural communities, and adequate production support, preferably for organic natural agriculture, for our fisherfolks and those in the forests, millions would have food security by now!
Why cannot politicians see the urgent need to produce food to immediately feed the hungry millions among our people? Food production will not only stabilize independent food supply and feed the hungry- it will also provide employment and allow the hungry to learn and to earn as well while raising the food to feed themselves and others.
May the import of this providential occasion of finding the smuggled rice to be fed to the hungry million Filipinos NOW not be lost among the genuine public servants and all other sincere Filipinos. May all candidates and politicians also prioritize, from now on, food production and food security for our people and our country.
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Email: cherryb_thefreman@yahoo.com