The Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya, today launched a scathing critique of the Philippine government, accusing it of enacting laws that prioritize foreign corporations and neoliberal policies over national food sovereignty, thereby exacerbating hunger and poverty among Filipinos.
In a press briefing, Attorney Virginia Laksa Suarez argued that the country’s food insecurity is a direct result of legislation that forces reliance on imported goods and fails to protect local farmers and fishermen.
“The Philippines is going through a very difficult time,” stated Suarez. “We call our country agricultural, but why are we starving? Because… the motivation for the creation of laws… is for the business, for the income, not for the service for the people,” Suarez said.
Key Laws and Policies Under Fire
Suarez identified three specific government measures as primary culprits in undermining the nation’s food independence:
- The Amended Investors’ Lease Act: Suarez condemned the recent amendment that extended the lease period for foreign investors from 50 to 99 years. “After 99 years, it’s all gone. But it’s not for us. It’s for foreign companies, for their income,” she said. She further warned that the vague “other purposes” clause allows these investors to use their lease contracts as collateral for loans from Philippine banks, meaning “we are being fried in our own oil.”
- The Rice Tariffication Law: The attorney criticized this law for prioritizing rice imports over supporting local farmers. She pointed out that while the law generates billions in tariffs, the assistance to farmers comes in the form of loans, not subsidies. “Our farmers don’t need loans,” Suarez asserted, contrasting the Philippine approach with the direct subsidies provided to farmers in neighboring countries like Vietnam and Thailand.
- Executive Order (EO) 62: Suarez revealed that EO 62, which she claims has been with the Supreme Court for nearly two years without action, effectively lowers tariffs on nearly all imported agricultural products to zero. This, she argued, creates an unfair market where cheap imported goods outcompete local products. “Foreign products are being bought while our local products are not being patronized. And little by little… our agriculture is really declining, our farmers are really hungry,” she stated.
Shift Spending from Military to Food Security
Beyond agricultural policy, Suarez questioned the government’s spending priorities, highlighting massive expenditures on military equipment and agreements. She framed the nation’s primary battle not as a military one, but as a “war against hunger.”
“Why would you invest so much money in military vehicles? The United States needs to be prepared for its own war. Why would we go to war? Our war is a war against the enemy. Our war is a war against hunger,” she concluded.
Atty. Virginia Lacsa Suarez, the Secretary General of KILUSAN para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KILUSAN), is a longtime human rights advocate whose work encompasses labor rights, women’s liberation, and the anti-war movement, evidenced by her prior role as Executive Director of the Legal Advocates for Workers Services and her current position as Chairperson of the women’s alliance KAISA KA.
In her leadership role with KILUSAN, she champions the organization’s core belief that true national democracy must begin with food self-sufficiency, arguing that current government laws and policies deliberately serve the interests of foreign corporations at the direct expense of the Filipino people.#
