Vietnam has vowed to supply a stable and affordable rice to the Philippines, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez announced on Monday, August 8.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Romualdez said that Vietnam National Assembly President Vuong Dinh Hue made the commitment during their bilateral meeting before the formal opening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“[L]ubos na nagpapasalamat tayo kay Hon. Vuong Dinh Hue, President of the National Assembly of Vietnam, sa pagtitiyak sa atin na tuloy-tuloy ang pagsusuplay ng bansang Vietnam sa ating bansa ng de-kalidad na bigas sa abot-kayang presyo,” he said.
The House Speaker said he personally brought up the topic with his counterpart, Hue, as he was tasked by President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. to help in averting the possible increase in the price of rice due to the shortage.
“Bilang tugon sa pangakong ito, tayo po naman ay handang mag-suplay ng mga produkto at materyales na kailangan ng mga industriya sa bansang Vietnam,” Romualdez said.
In July, Marcos bared that the country may import rice from India, which is known as the largest rice exporter in the world, due to the damages brought by Typhoon Egay's wrath to the country's agriculture and to prepare for the looming threat of El Niño.
Last Sunday, the President reassured Filipino farmers that the Philippines will not resort to rice importation as long as the rice supplies remain sufficient.
