AbNoynoy to Scrap NFAs 2010 Budget

Hindi makatao! That’s my initial reaction when I heard the proposal of AbNoynoy to scrap the budget of NFA for 2011. Their reason is that NFAs duplicating the function of DA. I think that rather than ‘not giving’ NFA budget, why don’t they just abolish the agency. If you abolish the agency, then, you don’t need to propose a budget for that agency at all. What would happen to the employees of NFA if they don’t have a budget? For sure, their employees need to be paid.

How then could NFA address the rice shortage if they don’t have a budget? From what I’ve gathered, NFA forecasts the rice supplies at least a year before they would actually buy it. They would normally outsource the rice supplies from either Vietnam or Cambodia and from the local growers. If there’s no NFA, local rice producers will have hard time because they’ll have to sell their produce at a lower price given by unscrupulous traders. The NFA subsidy protects our rice producers at the same time it also protects our rice reserve.

I could not imagine what would happen to us if there’s no NFA and there’s a rice shortage. AbNoynoy wouldn’t mind since he’s the President and for sure, there will be supply in the Malacañang kitchen. What will happen to the poorest of the poor? Remember, we’re one of the world’s poorest countries. There are people out there who could barely eat one meal a day. Okay, sige, antayin na lang natin if there’s rice shortage kung hindi sya mag rattle. Remember, he’s fond of laban bawi. Sala sa init, sala sa lamig. Patumpik tumpik.