Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Imee Marcos warned of a potential agriculture crisis driven by rising fertilizer prices and a possible shortage, while lawmakers and the executive branch formed a task force to address food security concerns.
“Tumataas na nga ang presyo, may posibilidad pang kapusin ang suplay [ng abono]. Kapag nangyari ito, babagsak ang produksyon at tataas lalo ang presyo ng bigas,” Marcos said in a statement on Tuesday, March 31.
[Translation: Prices are already rising, and there is a possibility of a fertilizer supply shortage. If this happens, production will decline and rice prices will increase further.]
She said profiteers are making the situation worse.
“Kapag may krisis, nariyan din ang mga oportunistang kumikita. Hindi na ito nagkataon lang—ginawang negosyo na,” she said.
[Translation: When there is a crisis, opportunists also emerge to make money. This is no longer a coincidence—it has become a business.]
Marcos urged the government to prioritize locally produced biofertilizers instead of relying on imports.
On Tuesday, the AGRI-AGRA Team—composed of representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Senate, House of Representatives, and local government units—formed a task force to mitigate the impact of the Middle East crisis on food security and the agriculture sector.
“Para bantayan itong magiging tulong suporta, ayuda, assistance, sa ating food security concerns [To oversee and ensure the delivery of support, aid, and assistance for our food security concerns],” Senate agriculture committee chairman Kiko Pangilinan said in a statement.
Pangilinan also cited ongoing efforts to craft a supplemental budget measure similar to the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act enacted during the pandemic, aimed at increasing funding and implementing crisis-response policies.
“Binubuno na natin natin yung magiging proposed na mga probisyon sa isang supplemental budget na Bayanihan Act para isama diyan itong pag-suspinde, loan moratorium, pagsuspinde ng pagbayad ng interest, at iba pang mga dagdag na intervention,” Pangilinan said.
[Translation: We are now finalizing proposed provisions for a supplemental budget similar to the Bayanihan Act, including loan payment suspensions, loan moratoriums, suspension of interest payments, and other additional interventions.]
Marcos had earlier called on the Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Pag-IBIG Fund to suspend the collection of contributions and loan payments amid rising prices.
Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a bill proposing a ₱52.8-billion supplemental budget, while Senator Loren Legarda said she will introduce her own version of a Bayanihan-style measure.
