The Department of Agriculture (DA) clarified that the circulating claims on social media about three farmers from Nueva Ecija who took their lives are not related to the low prices of palay.
In an exclusive interview on the DZRH "Dos Por Dos” program, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa debunked the claims of some government officials and law enforcement, including the statements from the families of the deceased farmers.
“Sa report po ayon na rin sa found imbestigasyon ng DA’s own investigation, may namatay po pero hindi po dahil sa reason na mababa ‘yung presyo," De Mesa said.
“Pero may mga namatay o nagpakamatay at ‘yon po yung kaya humingi na ng tulong ang DA sa NBI, para po talaga malaman pero yung base po talaga sa paunang report na nakuha ng DA at sariling imbestigasyon ay hindi po related dito sa mga presyo ng palay”.
De Mesa emphasized that the DA is committed to uncovering the truth but urged the public to allow the families of the deceased to grieve in peace.
“Ayaw na po naming tignan ang mga motibo. Nabanggit po ni secretary na hangga’t maari gusto na lang po namin na mag-grieve in peace ng pamilya ng mga namatay,” he added.
The department is currently asking the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for help with a deeper investigation to look into social media about the said claims.
Meanwhile, despite clarifying the cause of death, De Mesa acknowledged that some areas in the country experience palay prices dropping as low as PHP 14 per kilogram.
He attributed this ongoing slump in palay prices to global market corrections following two years of elevated rice prices.
“Ito rin po ay dahil sa nabanggit nga rin sa report na tied ito doon sa correction na nangyayari sa global market matandaan natin na for the last 2 years naging mataas ang presyo ng bigas international trade August 2023, yan yung nagging pinakamataas simula nung ipagbawal ng India yung pag-export ng non-basmati white rice” he stated.
“Tapos sinundan pa ng mga challenges ng El Nino at ng El Nina, at iba pang mga problema," De Mesa explained.
De Mesa assured the public that the DA will continue to monitor the situation and work with relevant agencies to address the concerns of local farmers.
