Recently one of the most commonly eaten, worldwide staples (rice) came under scrutiny because, as reported by the news “a crisis of shortage” loomed in the future. If you haven’t seen these stories, feel free to view http://www.inquirer.net/ (which despite the same name as a maligned paper in the US is a widely read Filipino news agency). The top banner proclaims “The rice problem” and links to a summary of articles recently written concerning a looming rice shortage. There have been multiple news stories, political statements, and general opinions made about the cause, severity or even existence of a rice shortage. Arrests have been made for illegal distribution of rice. Accusations of hoarding have been made at all levels of rice distribution. The Filipino’s government subsidized rice is now distributed under close military supervision. The US government has guaranteed shipments of rice to the Philippines. The story continues to unfold.While debates rage about how we got to this point, one thing is certain – the price of rice at the consumer level is increasing and increasing rapidly. For those interested take a look at this graph of consumer rice prices:
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/riceproblem/graphs.php?g=2
In the community where we minister, this is a serious and unrelenting problem. Most families who access our clinic for medical care (and most Filipino families in general) eat rice three times daily. Some of our families are eating rice alone for each meal because they cannot afford a topping for the rice. This dramatically increasing price is certainly straining many family finances. No one can predict where the strain will finally break.
Please pray for our community, the Philippines, and the poor around the world.
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