Special report: How a small Bohol town sells rice at P29/kilo

(Conclusion)

MANILA, Philippines — Back at the Balili court, Allin picks up her eco bag, struggling at first to carry it, although that is a good sign. Once she returns to Boctol, her refrigerator will be stacked for at least a week, so the only problem left is what meal to cook for the day.

“I thought the (P29 per kilo) rice was fake news. But it was not,” Allin said.

Mongaya and her peers at JAPVA are starting to pack up the ice boxes, which they would have to return to their association’s office near the Jagna Fishport. As the day breaks into the afternoon, it is now time for them to count how much they earned.

JAPVA will have to turn over to the local government the capital it spent to purchase the fish, and whatever profit is gained will be distributed equally among them. In essence, the buy-back program not only slashes retail prices and helps farmers and fishermen, but it also creates jobs for vendors like Mongaya.

Rañola envisions the buy-back program as one step closer to his dream for his hometown: food self-sufficiency.

Today, there are around 42,000 people living in the 12,000-hectare area of the bustling port town of Jagna. Rañola estimates that local rice output of Jagna can only feed about half of its population.

He also hopes that other local government units may find inspiration from the Jagna model on reducing food costs and uplifting farmers’ lives.

Rañola did not run for his third term of office. Instead, he raised the hand of his vice mayor – Joepags Pagar – to succeed him. He believes that he has created a system that will sustain the buy-back program regardless of leadership changes.

The Municipal Council of Jagna has met in March and in April to deliberate on a proposed ordinance that will institutionalize the buy-back program and guarantee its annual funding. The ordinance will utilize the lessons and experiences learned by the municipality from the on-going pilot run of the buy-back program.

“Nobody ever believed that I would succeed. So let this natural course of life happen. We cannot dictate, we can only hope and inspire – and that is the best we can do,” he said.

However, on election day, Rañola’s allies lost. Mark Louie Monungolh (11,299 votes) defeated Pagar (10,190 votes).

Two days later, the municipality temporarily suspended its buy-back program. The “pause,” the municipal agriculture office said in an advisory, will give them time to conduct its quarterly assessment of the program and enhance its implementation.

The municipal agriculture office said it would provide updates once the assessment of the program has been completed and a revised plan has been finalized.

“It is a que sera sera thing,” Rañola said in April on the future of the buyback program.