During a Monday Senate hearing on the nation’s soaring onion prices, a frustrated Senator Cynthia Villar exclaimed, “Huwag na lang tayong kumain ng onion.”
Villar questioned representatives of the state-owned Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) during the Senate committee on agriculture’s hearing, for selling onions for more than P500 per kilo while the price had already fallen to P250 per kilo the previous year.
The Office of the Ombudsman has previously summoned representatives from FTI and the Department of Agriculture in relation to the P140 million worth of onions purchased from a cooperative in Nueva Ecija at a price of P537 per kilogram.
The P140 million fund would be distributed to them, according to FTI President Robert Tan, who first stated that during a meeting last December 20, there was discussion about how to stabilize the price of onions.
Tan said the cost of the onions was not discussed.
His declaration, though, that he was on leave during that time enraged Villar.
“Kami ba namang senador sasabihan mo ng ganyan? Nag-leave ka, hindi ka pumirma. Huwag mo kaming sasabihan ng ganyan…” said the senator.
“Diyos ko naman, lumang story na ‘yun, Diyos ko. Hindi naman kami ganun kabobo. Accept the responsibility that you bought P500 when there are available na P200 something.”
“Bakit hindi ‘nyo accept ang responsibility? Bakit ‘nyo kami re-reasonan ng ganyan eh hindi naman kami nabuhay sa ibang generation. Kami naman ay marunong naman kami, kaya kami naging senador, marunong kami.”
In fact, Villar said, she was so disappointed that she did not want to conduct any investigation anymore since nothing comes out from their probes anyway.
“Huwag ‘nyo naman kamin gaganunin…parang ang tingin ‘nyo sa amin tatanga-tanga kami dito na re-reasonan mo kami ng ganyan. Huwag mo kaming re-reasonan ng ganyan. Hindi kami tanga,” the senator continued.
According to Villar, the FTI should have bought cheaper onions so they could sell it at a lower price in the market.
“Kaya ka pinabibili para magmura sa market ‘di ba? Ang government parang s’ya ang bibili para magmura sa market, eh kung bibilhin mo din ng ganun kamahal, eh what will be your service to the market? Huwag na lang tayong kumain ng onion. Ako hindi na nakain ng onion eh,” Villar said.
