PH Rice Crisis – 10 Ways To Discuss? 9 Ways To Disgust!

So you support Filipino farmers. Good. 

So you demand justice for Filipino farmers. Good.

But not good enough.
You are not thinking enough.
Your thinking is fragmentary!

On Facebook, I keep seeing the posts of Leonardo Montemayor of farmers' "cry for help" because of falling palay prices. Here are some entries on his Facebook page:

1. Palaweño farmers cry for help due to plummeting palay farmgate prices;

2. Rice millers claim imports hurt them, too;

3. Mismanagement' of imports blamed for excess rice supply;

4. Special safeguard duties versus rice imports urged – The Manila Times

5. Farmers call for limits to rice imports, hike in NFA buffer stock;

6. Fields of agony;

7. DA moves to control surge in imported rice;

8. Rice prices in Luzon down to P8/kg – PSA – Cai Ordinario;

9. Rice prices still not hitting P27/kilo as projected under tariffication law;

10. 'Disproportionate' price drop of palay unexpected.

Numbering mine. Except #7 – 90% negative!

Mr Montemayor's continually posting the negatives implies that the DA is continually hardly doing anything, and that is unfair.

I made a Facebook comment on #9 as follows:

Please stop the finger-pointing. The theme this time is The Team!
I gave the link to my essay:
"Climate Changes Considered, Nothing Beats Teamwork In PH Agriculture!" Ani Kitá,
ianikita.blogspot.com

and this was Mr Montemayor's comment:
"There is a world of difference between a journalist and a propagandist."

All I can say is that Mr Montemayor commits there 2 logical fallacies: (1) name-calling or innuendo, and (2) being beside the point.

Sorry to see that Mr Montemayor is like Rene Ofreneo – they see the glass half-empty instead of half-full! (See my essay, "The Half Desolation Of PH Agriculture In The Eyes Of Rene E Ofreneo, BusinessMirror," 29 August 2019, Ani Kitá, ianikita.blogspot.com.)

Both are pessimists, while I am the optimist – I see the doughnut, they see the hole!

They are notgiving Secretary of Agriculture William Dar the benefit of the doubt. They do not realize that if you point 1 finger to someone, 3 fingers are pointing at you!

In fact, even before he was sworn in as Secretary, Mr Dar was ready with what he calls "The Eight Paradigms" to use as guides for leading the Philippines from bad-performing to good-performing agriculture, primarily for the poor farmers.

In case the 2 gentlemen have not come across those 8 paradigms, here they are:

(1) Modernizing agriculture.
(2) Industrializing agriculture.
(3) Promoting exports.
(4) Consolidating the farms.
(5) Developing roadmaps.
(6) Building infrastructure.
(7) Having higher budgets and investments for agriculture.
(8) Having legislative support.

As a matter of fact, I have just produced an ebook of 266 pages comprised of 79 of my short essays on The Eight Paradigms as Mr Dar is now applying them leading the country to a vibrant & viable PH agriculture – anyone can avail of a free copy via email: frankahilario@gmail.com.

The title of my ebook tells you there is wit you can find in there. As Bill Cosby says, "Careful, you might learn something!"@517