MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN): The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) views Malacanang’s assurance that rice imports would be banned during harvest time as “deceptive” and “legally untenable.”
Last May 15, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 135, reducing tariff on rice imports from non-Asean countries.
This raised farmers’ fears that cheap imports will again flood the country and depress palay prices for local producers. The justification for the EO falls flat on its face as rice prices are stable, the flow of imports was normal and rice inventories were at comfortable levels.
On July 25,2019, Duterte declared a similar policy of banning rice importation during harvest time at a dialogue with farmers in Candon City, Ilocos Sur.
MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN): Despite an easing in the March unemployment rate, the Philippines remained the worst job market in emerging Asia with the biggest share of the unemployed to the labour force, a report of the state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) showed.
While the 7.1-per cent jobless rate posted in March was the lowest since April last year, the height of the longest and most stringent Covid-19 lockdown in the region Neda said the revert of the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for two weeks and then to modified ECQ (MECQ) in April would temporarily reverse employment gains.