MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday issued a warning to those who attempt to manipulate the price of palay or deceive farmers: the government will pursue you.
He said this in his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) as he vowed to bring the P20/kilo rice program nationwide.
“And because we are allocating 113 billion pesos to strengthen the programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA), we will launch this nationwide through hundreds of KADIWA stores and centers in various local governments,” Marcos said in Filipino.
“I am warning traders who attempt to manipulate the prices of palay (unmilled rice) or rice, or deceive farmers. We will go after you, because we consider what you are doing as economic sabotage,” he also said.
Moreover, Marcos vowed to strengthen local pork production as the primary solution to its high price.
“We are distributing piglets and sows, and we are also building biosecured facilities,” the president said.
“To further lower the price of meat, we have begun vaccinating against ASF [African Swine Fever], and we will expand the vaccination to cover all,” he added.
© Copyright 2025 The SSResource Media.
All rights reserved.