Soldiers, police officers and other uniformed personnel will get a P2.9 billion rice subsidy from the government, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said Sunday.
“The subsidy is already factored into the proposed P3.757-trillion General Appropriations Act 2019,” Pimentel said.
The subsidy covers financial assistance equivalent to 20 kilos of rice per month, charged to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, Pimentel, a member of the House appropriations committee, said.
Rice prices have steadily increased over the last eight months, according to the latest update of the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The PSA said the average retail price of well-milled rice stood at P45.71 per kilo in August, up by 9 percent compared to a year ago, while that of regular-milled rice was P42.26 per kilo, up by 11 percent.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, meanwhile, pushed for the passage of a bill that would double the amount of social pension from the current P500 to P1,000 to help poor senior citizens.
“This is the sad truth that many of our lolo and lolas have not yet received their social pension from the government,” Angara said.
“We must ensure that every Filipino senior citizen receives this well-deserved benefit that will help them meet their daily needs,” he added.
Based on the data from the Coalition of Services of the Elderly, only 33 percent or 2.9 million of the estimated 8.7-million elderly population are covered by contributory pension such as the Social Security System, the Government Social Insurance System, and other pension systems.
Of the 5.8-million senior citizens with no contributory pension, only 3.4 million are currently covered by the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said much of the rising inflation was “self-inflicted and internal.”
He said that while world events and external factors could have contributed to rising prices, the government should have anticipated this.
In agriculture, he said, the country can no longer afford greater government participation.
“We must incentivize private sector investment and credit to agriculture to increase productivity. Give farmers their land titles. Allow for land consolidation, private sector investment in technology and mechanization,” he said.
He also said the government should also reduce tariffs on agriculture products.
Recto also said it was “bad timing” to push forward with phase two of the administration’s tax reform program, particularly because of a looming trade war and conflicts that could affect the global economy.