A recently resurfaced claim of entertainment columnist Cristy Fermin saying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not promise to lower the price of rice to P20 per kilo during his presidential campaign lacks context.
TikTok user @acoking42 posted on July 31 a clip from Fermin’s online celebrity gossip show “Showbiz Now Na” with the caption:
“HINDI NAMAN TALAGA SINABI AT HINDI PINANGAKO NI PBBM NA GAGAWIN NYANG P20 KILO NG BIGAS (PBBM NEVER SAID OR PROMISED HE WOULD MAKE RICE P20 PER KILO).”
In the original episode, which was posted on YouTube on May 18, 2022 and later reposted on the Showbiz Now Na Facebook page, Fermin said at the 10:20-minute mark:
“Alam mo, na-misinterpret naman ‘yun. Ang sinabi lang niya…masarap sigurong maramdaman ang presyo ng bigas ay parang noong araw, ‘di ba? Yung salok nun ih, no? Mga bente pesos kada kilo, ganun ganun. Ngayon naman pinipilit naman ng mga kalaban, sige gawin mong bente pesos ang bawat salok, bawat kilo ng bigas.”
(You know, people misinterpreted what he said. All he said was ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if rice prices now were the same as it was before?’ Each scoop, P20 per kilo. Now, his rivals challenge him to actually make every scoop, every kilo of rice just P20.)
Although Marcos did not promise rice would be P20 per kilo under his term, he did declare that he planned to lower rice prices within the range of P20 to P30 if he won the elections.
In a press release last April 17, 2022 from Marcos’ political party Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, it stated:
“Aniya, sisiguraduhin niyang hindi na aabot sa P40 kada kilo pataas ang presyo ng bigas sa bansa, kundi pipilitin niyang ibaba ito mula P20 o hanggang P30 kada kilo. Para mangyari ito ay ipag-uutos niya na magkaroon ng imbentaryo ng ani ng palay sa Pilipinas.”
(He will make sure that rice prices per kilo in the country would not reach P40, but would be lowered instead between P20 to P30 per kilo. For this to happen, he will order the creation of a rice inventory in the Philippines).
A quote card on the statement was later posted by the Uniteam’s official Facebook page on April 18, 2022.
Over the past year, the president has repeatedly claimed his administration was close to achieving this goal as evidenced by rice being sold at P25 per kilo. However, this was only available at the Kadiwa stores managed by the National Food Authority.
During his recent State of the Nation Address, Marcos said the government proved its capability of bringing down prices of staple foods in the country. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, prices of food, including rice, continue to increase but at a slower rate compared to previous months.
(Related story: VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Marcos’ report on decreasing food prices in SONA is misleading)
This month, the retail price of rice in the Philippines is expected to rise due to the increased cost of imported grains, particularly those from Vietnam, Thailand, and India.
As of publishing, the TikTok video has garnered more than 18,600 views, 715 likes, and 127 comments.
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(This fact check was produced by a student from the University of the Philippines Diliman who is doing his internship with VERA Files.)
