SUSPEND EO 62 NOW: DEFEND OUR RICE FARMERS, DEFEND OUR FUTURE

SUSPEND EO 62 NOW: DEFEND OUR RICE FARMERS, DEFEND OUR FUTURE

As we move closer to the rice harvest season from September to October, our farmers are not preparing for celebration—but bracing for catastrophe. Instead of anticipating the fruits of their labor, they are facing a price crash that threatens to wipe out their livelihood.

At the center of this unfolding crisis is Executive Order No. 62, a policy that slashed tariffs on imported rice from 35% to just 15%. This move, combined with last year’s record-high rice importation of 4.68 million metric tons and a global drop in rice prices, has pulled down the farmgate price of palay (un-milled rice) to a devastating ₱11 per kilo—or even lower in some areas.

This is no ordinary dip in prices. This is a man-made disaster, timed tragically with the harvest season of our own local farmers. If EO 62 is not suspended immediately, cheap imported rice will continue to flood our markets. Worse, this will happen just before the tariff is scheduled to return to 35% in November—making the timing doubly cruel for Filipino rice growers.

How can we allow this? After all the storms, floods, and climate emergencies our farmers have endured, must they also suffer from flawed economic decisions?

Let’s be clear: this is not just a trade policy issue. This is about survival. This is about the dignity of the Filipino farmer. This is about national food security. If we allow the local rice sector to collapse, we also risk our capacity to feed ourselves as a nation. The effects will not stop at the farms—they will ripple into our economy, our dinner tables, and our future.

As a longtime advocate for rural development and farmer empowerment, I join fellow civil society groups, farmer organizations, and concerned citizens in calling for the immediate suspension of EO 62. Waiting until November is too late. The damage is happening now. Every week of delay means more farmers selling their harvest at a loss—or worse, not harvesting at all.

We urge President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to act swiftly. He must issue an emergency order to halt the rice import surge. He must also direct the National Food Authority (NFA) to aggressively procure local palay at no less than ₱25 per kilo, targeting at least 20% of the total harvest. This will not only stabilize prices—it will send a signal to farmers that their government stands with them.

We also call on Congress to convene urgent hearings and craft immediate safeguards, such as a price floor during harvest season. Additionally, Local Government Units (LGUs) must be empowered to provide transport and price subsidies, especially when national agencies are slow to respond.

This is the moment for a whole-of-government approach. It is also the moment for a whole-of-society awakening.

Let us not forget: our food security is built on the backs of our farmers. If we do not defend them now, we may soon find ourselves more dependent on foreign supply chains that can be disrupted at any time—by war, disease, or climate events.

We must defend rice sovereignty as part of our national interest. Imported rice should complement—not crush—our local production. And public policies should protect—not penalize—our food producers.

Suspend EO 62 now. Buy Filipino rice. Stand with our farmers. Let us choose a future where our farmers thrive, our economy grows from the ground up, and our people remain fed, proud, and self-sufficient.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

09-23-2025 

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