RICE SUFFICIENCY IS A MUST BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE - Jessica Soho's SONA

State of the Nation is a nightly newscast anchored by award-winning broadcast journalist, Jessica Soho.

During an interview on GMA News TV's "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho", Piñol rejected the suggestion that the Philippines should continue importing rice because it is cheaper and that farmers barely earn anything from the crop.

“Iyong ganyang pananaw, Jessica, na mag-import na lang tayo, pananaw ng isang tamad iyan na ayaw na mag-isip. Ang problema natin ngayon, meron tayong realidad, iyong climate change. Noong araw, ganoon din ang pananaw ko, ‘Sige lang, ‘di bale, mag-import lang tayo ng bigas. Magtanim tayo ng rubber, saging, pinya, at kung ano-ano pang mga high-value crops. Kung may pera tayo, mag-iimport tayo,’” he said.

“But the problem now is climate change. Tinamaan tayo ng El Niño. Tinamaan ang Vietnam. Tinamaan ang Thailand. All of these countries are already vulnerable to climate change.”

“What if one day, tayong lahat tinamaan ng El Niño, saan tayo kukuha ng bigas? So it is now a must. It’s no longer a choice eh. It’s a must that we must produce our own food. It is a must that we produce enough rice for the country kasi ganyan ang katotohanan ngayon eh. We can do it,” Piñol added.