PBBM: I am happy that finally we have a big haul of smuggled rice which I was able to give away to those who have less in life. And what is this "Paghuyot" that you are talking about?
KA SONNY: It sounds terrible and will tell it later. Let's just discuss the smuggling plague.
PBBM: Well, we must now have a long term solution to this age old problem. What do you think can be done to once and for all solve this problem?
KA SONNY: Simple, Mr. President. We need not come up with simplistic solutions like floor price for palay and price caps for rice.
PBBM: Why? Are you not happy that you farmers will again be protected with the floor price by our NFA.
KA SONNY: Yes, Mr. President, because this was done already before and it did no make our farmers any richer.
You are going back to a solution that only made the traders richer with the connivance of the NFA and even the miller's.
PBBM: Why is it that every time I ask for a solution, you always say "Simple". I am just curious, what makes you think that way?
KA SONNY: Experience, science, technology, and social engineering, Sir.
You seem to have forgotten that I am a farmer by profession exposed to both subsistence and commercial farming. Then I am graduate of Agriculture from U.P. Los Baños exposed to science and technologies and organize the first federation of rice miller's then the farm machinery dealers, the the Philippine Association of Agriculturist (PAA) and nowadays have the Save Our Soils Movement with the publisher of OpinYon promoting the biofarming systems that is climate resilient and now working towards carbon sequestration for rice farms.
PBBM: Now, why should I change my strategy as recommended to me?
KA SONNY: Because the same strategy has been tried by all the Presidents before you on the advice of their technocrats not experience in the ways of a subsistence farmer or even a commercial farmer or the trader and even a rice miller.
This is before you, (including your father ) and where are we now? Time is now running out on you and you may have food crisis to reckon with never known before.
PBBM: OK then, what must I do? There seems to be no right solution the latest of which was my EO 39 that receive a lot of flaks to protect our consumers. It seems unfair.
KA SONNY: It was also unfair to the farmers that you promised to protect. You must do a balancing act? And it starts with "Production Efficiency and the Law of Supply and Demand." Whoever you will appoint next to solve this problem must know it.
PBBM: Now what is it?
KA SONNY: Again as I have always told you in my previous conversations, "read my lips," Mr. President.
(EDITORS NOTE: For more of Chimeric Conversations please read OpinYon.net )
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