Cotabato Food Republic: Master Plan 2025-2030

As I prepare for a return to public service as Governor of my province, I have crafted a 5-year Master Plan to turn North Cotabato into a virtual “Food Republic” where both farmers and consumers are protected from the vagaries of the market.
Moving around the province in a series of pre-campaign consultations, I have always pointed out the anomaly in the pricing of a specific commodity – Rice.
In North Cotabato, one of the major rice producers of the country, farmers’ palay is bought by traders for as low as P14 per kilo during peak harvest while imported rice is sold in the market at P50 to P60 per kilo.
In the Master Plan which I prepared, a result of the years of exposure to and understanding of the manipulative marketing system that we have in the country, I designed the Cotabato Rice Republic which will give farmers a fair price for their produce while assuring consumers of affordable rice.
At a buying price of P22 per kilo for farmers unmilled Rice, consumers could have access to locally produced and milled rice at no more than P45 per kilo.
This pricing follows the rule of thumb in rice trading where the price of Palay multiplied by 2 should be the Selling Price of Rice.
The program is anchored on the Corporate Governance Concept which I designed where the Provincial Government through an Economic Enterprise Office will exercise Corporate Powers as enshrined in the Local Government Code.
The Master Plan for Food Security, Health and Economic Development will turn North Cotabato into a microcosm of what I had dreamed for the whole country when I was Secretary of Agriculture.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!