Vice President Sara Duterte should refrain from mocking the government’s ongoing effort to lower the cost of rice to P20 per kilo, an administration lawmaker said Sunday, recalling that under her father’s regime, prices of the staple grain spiked as high as P70 per kilo, with imports infested with “bukbok.”

A fellow Mindanaoan, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, took offense at how Duterte criticized the government’s initiatives to bring down the prices of rice, blinded by the shortcomings of the administration of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“It is ironic that the Vice President is mocking efforts to lower rice prices to P20 per kilo when, during the administration of her father, rice prices even soared to P70 per kilo in some areas,” Adiong pointed out.

“It was under the Duterte government that we saw imported rice shipments infested with bukbok, when her father’s appointed Agriculture Secretary, Manny Piñol, oversaw rice importation. Before pointing fingers, it would be better for her to look back at the failures of the administration she proudly represents,” the lawmaker added.

Duterte has drawn backlash from House lawmakers allied with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after she leveled accusations that the administration’s plan to sell rice for P20 per kilo, starting from the Visayas region, is a “scam” and is “too late.”

She also questioned the timing of the pilot program, alleging that it’s mere election propaganda so that candidates backed by the administration win in the 12 May polls.

Further, she expressed skepticism about why the pilot is limited only to Visayas when it is a nationwide need.

The P20 per kilo rice program is scheduled to be rolled out in select Kadiwa centers in Visayas, though the launch date has not yet been disclosed.

According to government reports, the program involves partnerships with farmers’ cooperatives to deliver freshly milled rice directly to consumers, eliminating middlemen and reducing costs.

Nonetheless, Adiong argued that Duterte should refrain from ridiculing the government and instead help address the crisis in rice.

“We should be working together to find solutions, not tearing down every attempt simply because it comes from another administration,” Adiong stressed.

The latest price bulletin showed that local commercial rice in Metro Manila is being sold between P33 and P65 per kilo, depending on the variant. The figures are still a far cry from Marcos Jr.’s target of lowering the price of the staple grain to P20 per kilogram, despite some key areas already placed under a food security emergency.

A food security emergency may only be declared if there is a supply shortage or an extraordinary increase in the cost of rice pursuant to the amended Rice Tariffication Law.

Once reinforced, the National Food Authority, which has been restricted from importing and selling rice directly to the public, will be allowed to release its buffer stocks to stabilize the cost of the staple grain in areas with spiking retail prices.