It’s fun to have ‘Inquirer Libre’

True to its word (“Inquirer Libre for bus riders, too” (Inquirer, 4/29/13), Inquirer distributed Libre to the public for free in six JAM Liner terminals.

On April 30, as the spanking Jam (Jam, not Bam the candidate, the favorite whipping boy of noted Inquirer columnist Neal Cruz) approached Lipa from Lemery, all riders merrily received a copy of the day’s eight-page Libre edition. It was fun to read not because it was free! Why? A comparison of headlines gave the answer.

“Team PNoy questions Albay gov’s UNA links” vs “Team PNoy: Ano ba Salceda?” (Libre); “Source code has been reviewed but we won’t show it—Brillantes” vs “Brillantes: Nasa amin ang source code”;

“Coughing worries audience” vs “Tumigil na kasi sa yosi, pinayo ulit kay P-Noy”; “Rating fall puzzles Binay” vs “Palaisipan kay Binay, VP bumaba rating sa serbey”; “After 40 years, PH now a rice exporter” vs “Exporter na tayo ng bigas.”

Let’s focus on rice.

Cruz in his May 3 column (“A dirty trick by Malacañang on voters”), referring to the business report “NFA to import 187,000 tons of rice” (Business, Inquirer, 5/2/13), asked: “Now, which is which? Are we going to export or import rice? If we are already more than self-sufficient in rice, as the DA claims, why do we have to import 187,000 tons of rice as buffer stock?”

Our response: The kind of rice the National Food Authority (NFA) procured from abroad (2.4 million tons in 2008; 1.8 million tons in 2009; 2.4 million tons in 2010; 860,000 tons and 500,000 tons in 2011 and 2012 respectively, including the 187,000 tons for 2013) was the relatively low-grade, low-priced “25-percent brokens” of which Vietnam, India and Pakistan all have excess production by design and strategy. Thailand’s output of the variety is limited; it cannot compete, that is why Vietnam bagged the supply deal at $459/ton against Thailand’s $568/ton.

Libre reported 15 metric tons of black rice (Don Bosco Foundation), 20 MT of japonica (SL Agritech) and 30 MT of long grain aromatic white rice (Cotabato cooperative). One cannot compare apples (187,000 tons) and oranges (65 tons); the latter command in high-end, niche markets a premium price nearly double that of the “apples.” We will run into a stone wall if we compete with Vietnam in the “apples” market. Someone called the “tiny” export of “boutique” rice “pure propaganda.” Aromatic/organic rice is sold in 1-2 kilo bags as well. Let’s encourage the cooperatives.

Another soberly noted half the world could go hungry at the slow pace organic palay grows. Should all farmers switch to organic rice and provoke riots?

Why the buffer stock? The 1995 rice crisis led to the crafting, during President Fidel Ramos’ term, of an administrative order mandating a “90-day food security buffer stock.”

The $459.75 pricing (FOB $365) is a smart move in that 187 million kilos will be delivered “door-to-door” to NFA warehouses this time. In one year alone, the Commission on Audit reports, NFA spent P226 million in “shortlandings” and “unnecessary P150 million in demurrage penalties,” etc.

Smuggling? Much has been written already!

It’s fun to have Libre!

—MANUEL Q. BONDAD,

manuelbondad@yahoo.com