00:00Onions, tomatoes, simple ingredients that are sometimes expensive, but now, the prices have dropped.
00:13The price of rice and imported goods has doubled compared to our farmers, who are now being sautéed.
00:23Sautéed eggs, sinigang, kaldereta, and other Filipino dishes are not as delicious without our sautéed ingredients.
00:44But the farmers of these vegetables are currently in a dire situation.
00:53Onions and tomatoes are now being sold at a very high price.
00:59Before, it was P100 per kilo. Now, it's P1 per kilo for P4.
01:04Because of the oversupply, a lot of tomatoes are now being thrown away and allowed to rot.
01:15Oh, my God!
01:21Oh, my God!
01:26The root of this problem is the lack of importation by the government of vegetables such as onions.
01:35We should have imported vegetables when we had a shortage of supplies.
01:41In a viral post, the farmers of onions called out to stop the importation of onions and support local farmers.
01:50I am asking for your help so that you can give my onions at a lower price.
01:56I am calling out to buy our tomatoes.
02:02Who should be sautéed in this problem?
02:12The problem with onions was solved when the Department of Agriculture approved on February 6
02:20the importation of thousands of metric tons of onions from China, Indonesia, and India.
02:27In the pool, when will onions be imported to many parts of the Philippines, including Nueva Ecija?
02:37We are here in Bongagon, Nueva Ecija.
02:40It is the onion capital of the Philippines.
02:43All 28 barangays here live on onions.
02:49It is the harvest season now.
02:51But the farmers here are not happy, they are in tears.
02:56Because their main product is at a low price.
03:01Can I have some onions?
03:03Yes!
03:04Yes!
03:10It is easy, but it is hard for me to stand up.
03:13My back hurts.
03:16I met Marife, who has been planting onions for three decades.
03:21How are you, Marife?
03:22I am fine.
03:24How is your harvest this year?
03:26Now, it is good.
03:27What is good?
03:28It means that the harvest is less.
03:30Ah, less.
03:31What is your job here?
03:33I am a farmer.
03:37Marife often accompanies her children, JR and Irene, to the onions farm.
03:46At night, the mothers start to harvest.
04:00It is almost noon when they are done.
04:03But they still need to remove the leaves.
04:06This is what we will cut.
04:08What is left is the inside.
04:11They have a stick to remove the leaves.
04:14Can I try?
04:15Sure.
04:16Okay, just like that.
04:19It is also hard because you are soaked in the heat all day.
04:24If the price is good, Marife is paid 1,000 pesos per day.
04:29But now, onions are so cheap.
04:32How much do you earn for this kind of living?
04:35I earn 300 pesos.
04:36How many months have you been harvesting onions?
04:39I have been doing this for a week.
04:41Do your parents also plant onions?
04:43Yes, they do.
04:44My father passed away.
04:46And now, your children are helping in the onions farm?
04:50Yes.
04:51So, you haven't been able to leave this place?
04:54Yes, we have already spent a lot of money.
04:56It is hard.
04:57If there is no harvest, we don't have an aunt.
04:59In 2016, Marife became a domestic helper in Saudi.
05:04But after 3 years, she also went back to Bungabon.
05:08I just looked at why I am with my family.
05:15It's true.
05:16Soy sauce, tomatoes, our food.
05:18We eat together.
05:24Sometimes, we don't have anything.
05:26What can you say about this kind of life?
05:29We are just like this.
05:31We are just rising.
05:32But are you rising?
05:34No.
05:35Why do you think?
05:36Because of the price of onions.
05:39The price of onions is not getting better.
05:41It's not getting better.
05:42What do you want your children to be?
05:45I want them to study until college.
05:48My dream is to be a teacher.
05:50I want to be a soldier.
05:52I don't want them to live like me.
05:58From the fields, the onions are brought to buying stations like this.
06:04Where the onions are taken out from the bags to be sorted according to size and quality.
06:12After that, they will return it to the bags and put it here to wait for the buyers.
06:21How many bags did you sell yesterday?
06:23Last night, we sold 1,125 bags.
06:27Really?
06:28Yes, yesterday.
06:29Yes.
06:30How many days did you sort the onions?
06:33Every day.
06:35But why is the Philippines rising in onions?
06:39If we have hectares of it.
06:43The harvest season of onions in our country is only every February to April.
06:49It is not enough to meet our needs for the whole year.
06:55To solve this, in the 90s, the Philippines started to increase its onions from other countries.
07:04The onions we import are cleaner and bigger.
07:08That's why some consumers prefer it.
07:12But if we're talking about quality,
07:15it is not safe for the onions we import to be tastier and more crispy.
07:22The government also imports onions to ensure that the price of onions will not increase.
07:29Just like what happened in 2022,
07:32the price of onions per kilo increased to Php 700.
07:35It hurts the pockets of our consumers.
07:38But when it comes to importing, the key to all of this is the right timing.
07:42Not like what happened this year,
07:45when the government rose in February,
07:48in full swing during the harvest season of our farmers.
07:53That's why the ending is,
07:54they are at a loss.
07:56They are at a loss.
07:59Mang Heron, a farmer, said that the cost of planting onions in two hectares of land in Barangay Pesa is Php 700,000.
08:10One hectare is around Php 350,000.
08:13It is expensive and labor-intensive.
08:17He expects to earn around Php 500,000 this year.
08:24It means that he will lose Php 200,000.
08:28Because they have the competence to import onions,
08:33which are even cheaper to sell in the markets,
08:36the cost of selling white onions should be Php 80 to Php 110 per kilo.
08:42Now, it's just Php 30.
08:46While the cost of selling red onions should be Php 120,
08:51the cost of selling white onions is just Php 45.
08:54That's why he will not earn anything from this.
08:58They say that if you have onions in your food, you will feel rich.
09:02And if you smell onions, you will ride a bus,
09:05and the passengers will know that you are feeling rich.
09:08It's good that you can still make jokes, Mang Heron.
09:11Now, if you smell onions,
09:13You will smell like a farmer.
09:14The situation in life will be a bit better.
09:17It's a big loss.
09:18It's a big loss for you.
09:20We, as senior citizens,
09:22can now get the maintenance and food at the price we have lowered.
09:28Do you still consult with the government?
09:31We often talk to them.
09:33Importation should be done when we have a shortage of supplies.
09:41There is nothing wrong with importing.
09:43I just hope that the rice is finished
09:45so that it is not accompanied by the price of the traders when buying onions.
09:49If there is a shortage, they should have imported much, much earlier.
09:53We average around 30,000 metric tons of onions every year.
10:00Our battle cry is,
10:02as much as possible,
10:03the importation should not be accompanied by the harvesting of onions.
10:07I asked Undersecretary Sheryl Marie Caballero of the Department of Agriculture,
10:12why did the government import onions,
10:16now that it is out of stock?
10:19In this context,
10:20there is a need for the gap to be adjusted.
10:24This should have been done earlier on, sometime in December.
10:28So, the implementation of the measure to allow the importation was delayed.
10:33But what we are looking at is,
10:35when it comes to a large amount of onions,
10:39it was already anticipated by the DA.
10:41So, the Secretary just allowed the import to be stopped.
10:45What they are asking is,
10:46isn't the importation timing wrong?
10:51I think you started importing in February,
10:53which is also the harvest time for onions,
10:57especially in Bungabon, Nueva Ecija.
10:59Why is it like that?
11:01The harvest time will normally be in March.
11:06So, the arrival of the importation approved by the Secretary for 3,000 metric tons
11:13is for February.
11:14This was discussed through the Onion Alliance Team,
11:18where the farmers, industry, and the DA
11:22will have consultations.
11:24So, there was a recommendation or agreement sometime in December
11:29that there will be an importation.
11:30So, it will not be spilled over in March,
11:33where most of the harvest will arrive.
11:35We think, and the appreciation of the Department,
11:38there should be a storage for the harvest.
11:43So, our question is,
11:44with all the storage provided by the DA,
11:46there should be an opportunity and prioritization
11:50for those in Bungabon,
11:52because we have a lot of cold storage in Nueva Ecija.
11:55Our entry point is cooperative,
11:57because we cannot support each one.
12:00The cold storage they provided,
12:02we are maximizing it.
12:04We already have a room full.
12:06All are local produce
12:08that comes from real onions.
12:11There should be a capacity of more than 1 million bags
12:15and they will put it there
12:17so that the people there can buy
12:19cheap and high-quality onions
12:21that comes from the local produce.
12:24The problem with storage is that electricity is expensive.
12:29We have market linkages through the cadiwa of the President
12:33where we help them bring their products
12:36so they can sell directly.
12:38Nueva Ecija was hit by a typhoon last November.
12:45Our onions were destroyed.
12:48Many of the onions that were stored were destroyed
12:52and were not used.
12:54Instead of planting onions again,
12:57many farmers decided to plant tomatoes.
13:04Many people plant tomatoes
13:06because it has a lot of seeds.
13:08It doesn't look like just one in Cebu.
13:10But when will they plant the tomatoes?
13:14The farm gate price has also dropped.
13:18Before, it was P160 per kilo.
13:21Now, it's only P4 per kilo.
13:24Our farmers are in great loss.
13:28And they also teach the reason,
13:30oversupply.
13:32They just throw away the tomatoes.
13:41That's why some of the farmers in Bungabon,
13:44no matter how hard they try,
13:45they just choose to throw away the tomatoes.
13:49It's the same with us.
13:50We don't bring it to our family.
13:51We will return it.
13:52We won't sell it.
13:57Tomatoes.
13:59That's one of the main ingredients of many Filipino dishes.
14:03And if the weather is hot like this,
14:05it's time to harvest the tomatoes.
14:08But here in Nueva Ecija,
14:10because of the price drop,
14:12they just give it away.
14:14Or the tomatoes are piled up on the streets and farms.
14:21Here in Barangay Vega,
14:23the tomatoes are piled up
14:25from Richard's farm.
14:27They just let it rot.
14:30Richard used to be a seaman.
14:32This land is one and a half hectares.
14:35He has been working on the ship for several decades.
14:38When he stopped being a seaman in 2019,
14:42he decided to just plant tomatoes here.
14:45How much do you harvest here?
14:47One hectare.
14:48If there's a change,
14:49even if it's less,
14:50it's around P200,000.
14:51P200,000?
14:52Usually, if the price is good,
14:54how much do you earn in P200,000?
14:57Last year, we were able to meet the price of P70,000.
15:00We earned P1M.
15:01Really?
15:02But now?
15:03Now.
15:04It's a loss.
15:05It's a loss.
15:06It's good,
15:07but the price is low.
15:08Why?
15:09The supply is over.
15:10Then what do you do
15:12if the price drops like this?
15:14We just sell it to the people who harvest.
15:17Wilma is one of Richard's tomato harvesters.
15:21It's really hard in the countryside.
15:23You really need to be patient.
15:26She's with her 16-year-old son, Cyrus,
15:30in planting tomatoes in the fields.
15:32Even so, it's hard for him to walk.
15:34To be honest, we don't want him in the fields.
15:37But he really likes it.
15:39They used to earn P500 per day
15:42every year.
15:44But when the price of tomatoes dropped,
15:47they only had to pay half of it.
15:50We were able to sell 100 chickens
15:53in the morning and evening.
15:54And for the other 100,
15:56we were saddened by the price of tomatoes
15:58because the price was low.
16:00What can you say
16:02to the farmers who planted tomatoes?
16:05We had an oversupply.
16:07We planted at the same time,
16:09and we sold at the same time.
16:11Antimano cannot be absorbed by the market.
16:14What we're looking at is how to bring this
16:17systematically.
16:18And we have the blessing of Pangulo Platform
16:20so they can direct to market.
16:22Didn't they tell you not to plant at the same time?
16:26Because the price is not good if you do that.
16:29We have a cropping calendar.
16:32This is the right time to plant.
16:34Sometimes, they want to sell at the same time.
16:37It means that's the time
16:39that either they win or they lose.
16:41But they look at it right away
16:43that if they sell at the same time,
16:45the price will be higher.
16:46What if everyone planted tomatoes at the same time?
16:48That's what happens when there's an oversupply.
16:54We plant tomatoes here in August.
16:56There's a storm coming.
16:59We planted this in October.
17:01So that the tomatoes planted by Richard and Wilma
17:05won't be wasted,
17:07To The Rescue,
17:09the Rural Rising Philippines,
17:11an organization that helps farmers
17:14through their so-called Rescue Buy.
17:18We put a double price
17:19to get the middleman here in Metro Manila.
17:23They use their own money,
17:24A's and Andy's money,
17:27to save the tomatoes
17:29and other products of the farmers.
17:32There are also people who give donations to them.
17:35Before we went there,
17:36we paid for the truck,
17:38for the farmers,
17:40and of course, for the farmer.
17:43It's sweet.
17:44How many crates are these, Richard?
17:46I think there are about 50.
17:48We are thankful to the Rural Rising Philippines
17:51for coming here.
17:52Thank you for doing this.
17:54Because it's really heartwarming
17:56to see the tomatoes planted.
17:58Richard said,
17:59this is the legal gamble.
18:01You're not betting on anything,
18:02on cards or luck.
18:03You're betting on yourself.
18:05Can you continue this?
18:06Can you save this?
18:08Some of the tomatoes
18:10that were rescued by the Rural Rising Philippines
18:13were planned to be given
18:15to Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City.
18:18Our program was successful
18:20and we will be the one to bring it.
18:25Thank you very much to Rural Rising.
18:27They will be our lunch,
18:29maybe in the afternoon.
18:31We're also asking private sector,
18:33LGUs,
18:34national government,
18:35to really market in Manila.
18:37These tomatoes.
18:38And in other areas,
18:40where the tomatoes are not enough or expensive,
18:42we will really resolve the process of tomatoes
18:44so that the harvest can be benefited
18:46and our farmers can earn more.
18:48Do you have a program
18:49so that the tomatoes won't be planted?
18:52The medium-term intervention
18:54is to have dehydration facilities
18:56to absorb the excess production.
18:59If it's dehydrated,
19:01then it can last for several months.
19:04Is it still fresh tomatoes?
19:06It's still fresh in the sense that
19:08it's just dehydrated.
19:09We can use it in Pakbet.
19:11Just add hot water
19:13and it will expand again.
19:15I think they'd like to hear this from you.
19:18If you can feel it
19:20and if you can hear them.
19:22These are their requests.
19:24We go around all throughout,
19:26different commodities,
19:27different groups.
19:28What we can see in the direction
19:30of our Department of Agriculture
19:32is that there will be sustainability
19:34and profitability for the farmers.
19:37The farmers should love it
19:39because this is the backbone of the economy.
19:43The situation of our farmers now
19:46is like the destruction of onions
19:49that makes them cry.
19:51Because of the oversupply,
19:56not only the tomatoes and onions
19:58that are thrown
20:00are rotting and wasted.
20:03The hardship and sacrifice
20:06of our farmers
20:08is getting worse.
20:11Blood and sweat.
20:24Thank you for watching, Kapuso.
20:26If you liked this video,
20:29subscribe to the GMA Public Affairs YouTube channel
20:33and don't forget to hit the bell button
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