Soaring Rice Prices Are Dulling Duterte’s Luster in Philippines

It's not surprising that the Philippines can't produce enough rice for its people since in a single lifetime( 1950 - 2018) the number of people in the Philippines has gone from about 18 million to about 106 million -- i.e. 6 times what it was in 1950. The Philippines desperately needs a China-like compulsory one-child policy.

The right wing populist strong men of the world all enact the same playbook: legislate to benefit the wealthier and wealthiest citizens, promise the moon to working people who support you, crack down brutally on the chosen underclass or minority while blaming those victims for all society's problems, and enrich themselves, their families, and their cronies while their country goes down. Saddest of all is that after so many examples of these tyrants around the world, so many people still are vulnerable to their lies and dubious promises.

I lived in the Philippines for over 20 years and was a close observer of their political and economic system. I lived with my late Filipino and American Citizen wife among ordinary Filipinos, NOT in a foreign "ghetto". The ordinary Filipino was at the mercy of a few places to get food. Rice was heavily regulated since the Marcos Period. The economy is a highly regulated and closed economy that supposedly favors Filipinos but in reality, the ordinary Filipino pays a higher percentage of their wages for food. Duterte had promised that for the vast majority of Filipino, who are poor, it would be a new day. Instead, the prices have gone up much earlier. In 21 days will be All Saints Day. This holiday is the most traveled day in this mostly Catholic Country. At that point, the store owners, market stall owners, etc will begin to raise prices and hide staple goods to cause artificial shortages to drive the prices up. There are a small group of elites that control most of the Filipino Economy. The middle class is again tiny. More than 65% of Filipinos are considered poor and the so-called (Philippines) Social Weather Survey is suspect for their data about conditions in the Philippines. According to the Manila-based newspaper, PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, poverty is raising outside Metro Manila Region (the 16 separate cities in the region that include-Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan City, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay City, et cetera) in rest of the country.

When an ill-informed demagogue runs a country, the average citizens always suffer.

This is an example of the rare giffen good case. Usually as price increases for a good demand decreases. However, in the rare giffen good case as price increases demand also increases. For staples such as rice, an increase in price makes it so people cannot afford more expensive foods, and must buy more rice. They really have no choice and are stuck in the cycle until prices are lowered.

The guy is murdering people but the price of rice is more important.

"A new tax law that was passed to help pay for Mr. Duterte’s infrastructure plan lowered income taxes for the middle and upper classes. But it increased excise and value-added taxes, pushing prices up across the board." No wonder Trump loves him. This tax plan is worthy of our Republicans. Tax breaks for the rich and increased taxes on the poor!

Rice use to be a healthy food until we heard it is loaded with arsenic and who knows what other poisonous toxins. The Republicans by deregulation allowed the farmers to poison our foods and no one is held accountable. Rice is not a health food these days. I can imagine the poisons on this product from over seas with even worst consumer protection laws in place. Very sad.