I am supposed to write more insights about tourism in Phuket in today's Agora. I decided however to put it on hold to give way to a discussion on the issue of food shortage, especially rice, that is griping the whole country. The issue is even more pronounced in Bohol , not for the acute rice shortage but for the Executive Order (E.O.) that Gov. Erico B. Aumentado issued last April 8.

E.O. No. 6 s. 2008 of Gov. Aumentado Regulating the Shipment of Palay and Milled Rice to Other Provinces, Providing for its Enforcement and Monitoring, and for Other Purposes has touched many sensitive chords among officials of other local government units and even members of the media from Central Visayas.

Former Congressman. and financial adviser of Pres. Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo and now Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay is not happy with the Aumentado Executive Order saying Aumentado should have thought of the bigger picture of the country first before securing just Bohol. Some media practitioners from Cebu went out further to say that Bohol is at its "ija-ija, aho-aho" characteristic.

Gov. Aaumentado reacted to the accusations saying his Executive Order did not curtail free trade that is guaranteed under the Philippine Constitution. The Order he said only regulated the movement of palay stocks out of Bohol.

I agree with the Governor. Regulating is not curtailing nor relegating the whole picture of the country. Bohol may be the biggest rice producer in Central Visayas but its production is not even sufficient to feed the Boholanos who will need about 631,000 bags of rice annually. Of this requirement Bohol can only meet about 83%.

By regulating the movement of stocks in the province, Bohol is contributing to the policy of government to prevent smuggling and hoarding of the commodity as buyers' activities are closely monitored.

The EO is consistent with the provisions of the Local Government Code on General Welfare Clause and the Letter Circular No. AO-2K1-08-001 by LC No. AO-2K2-01-001 of the National Food Authority.

Aumentado will be remiss in his duty to serve and protect the Boholano constituency, whom he swore to serve, if he just closed his eyes on the reports that unscrupulous traders from other provinces were having a buying spree of palay in Bohol.

If government were convinced that the problem is not the shortage of supply but the rising prices of rice, then Aumentado's EO would help stabilize prices of rice in Bohol.

Instead of harping on the possible negative implication of a local EO, Saceda, an economic adviser to the President, should now be looking at the long-term solution to the food crisis. Any short-term solution will be temporary. What we need is the long-term solution.

The latest census of population released by government said there are now 88 million Filipinos. Unless government decides to increase rice lands by constructing more irrigation facilities and putting to a halt all land conversions of rice lands, we will be facing an even more acute food problem.

It is time the Philippines increases efforts at becoming self-sufficient in rice along with the efforts at industrialization. No economy has successfully gone to industrialization without having a strong agriculture first.

In an eventuality of severe food crisis, he who holds the food basket will rule. I would like to see the Executive Order of the Gov. Aumentado in this light. It is reassuring for us Boholanos to know that we will be the last to go hungry because we have retained rice production among our stake in agriculture.