Should Filipinos Be Concerned About The Shrinking Farmlands?

December 6, 2022

Two weeks ago, I overheard a commentary from a local radio station about two Philippine senators debating on the issue of farmlands being converted to residential subdivisions. An issue that I had been wondering about since I saw the flags and streamers of a development planted all over a wide rice land. The flags and streamers indicate that the farmland is (or was already) converted into residential subdivision. This is just one of the farmlands that were converted to residential or commercial property all over the country.

The senator who brought up this issue is the neophyte Senator Raffy Tulfo. The senator on the other side of the argument is Cynthia Villar, who is the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture. Senator Villar's family also owns one of the biggest if not the biggest real estate developer in the country, Vista Land.

Greetings my dear readers, especially to my Filipino readers all over the globe. Even before the pandemic started, I noticed some farmlands in our neighboring towns were already bought by the big real estate development company, Vistaland. I saw the company's flag markers spread across a piece of farmland in Ivisan, Capiz.

Senate Budget Hearing.

During the budget hearing in the Senate two weeks ago, neophyte senator, Hon. Raffy Tulfo pointed out the fact that the farmland in the country is shrinking as they were converted into residential and commercial properties by real estate developers. So the senator asked the question:

"What is the Department of Agriculture is doing about it?"

 Senator Cynthia Villar, the chair of the Senate's Committee on Agriculture, happens to belong to the family that owns the biggest real estate development company in the country. She tried the explain that their company does not buy agricultural lands in the provinces.   

 Watch the video as the two senators argue on this matter.

I'm not sure how Senator Villar's company is doing business in the countryside. She said that their company does not buy farmlands in the provinces. However, it's either she doesn't know her company is buying agricultural lands in the provinces or she just said a BIG LIE!

 As I have mentioned, I saw the flags and banners of their company announcing that a residential subdivision was about to rise on an agricultural property in a neighboring town.

 Check out the vicinity map posted in Lumina Homes (source of the vicinity map: https://homeassist.ph/properties/lumina-capiz/)

I compared this map with the location indicated in the Petal Map (Huawei's counterpart for Google Maps). As you can see, the subdivision is right in the middle of a rice field.

My Analysis

 Though I am not an economics expert, I believe the benefits of the tax from the rice import is a mere sugar coating. They say the tax from the rice importation is used to help the farmers. But does it?

Here's what I know.

Because of the rice importation, traders buy the palay (pre-husked rice) from the farmers at a very low price. Then they will sell the milled rice at a very high price.  

 While the middle-men traders gain so many profits from the rice trade, the farmers often end up at the losing end. Especially with the frequent typhoons and floodings that often destroy the crops.

Then here comes the real estate developers. They would offer to buy the farmlands at a seemingly "high price". For the farmers, it means instant cash that probably they won't be able to earn for a year or two. So they end up selling their land.

If you watched the video, have you noticed the connection between the real estate developers and the rice importation law?

Should Filipinos be Concerned?

The Philippines is primarily an agricultural country. One of the primary products is rice. Moreover, rice is the staple food for Filipinos. We eat rice from breakfast to dinner. Some would even have a meal with nothing but rice dosed with a bit of cooking oil and sprinkled with a little salt.

Thus, if the farmlands, especially the rice fields, continue to shrink, so does the rice supply. If this continues, we will soon be relying fully on imported rice.

When this happens, there is a high chance that the importers and traders will take control of the prices of rice and other agricultural products.

So, should Filipinos be concerned?

Thanks For Reading