Emergency Asean summit on food mooted

Today Online 15 Apr 08;

MANILA — Amid fears of unrest over rising food prices, a Philippine senator has urged his country to arrange an emergency summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to ensure regional food security.

Senator Manuel Roxas filed a resolution yesterday calling on the government to take the lead in organising the emergency meeting. "This kind of crisis is exactly why Asean exists," Mr Roxas said.

"Asean must address and intervene in this crisis to prove to the world that it can take the lead in the political and economic integration of its member nations."

Other Philippine officials have dismissed fears of possible riots over rising food prices and tight rice supplies, saying that the unrest that destabilised Haiti's government — with deadly looting and rioting fuelled by rising food prices — will not happen here.

Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the security situation in the country was stable and that skyrocketing rice prices were a global concern. "I don't see any food riots in the Philippines," he said.

"I think what this will do, on the contrary, is to give us more incentives and impetus to work together to solve the problem rather than fractionalising the country."

The Philippines is one of the world's largest rice importers and has been buying the grain from its Asian neighbours and the United States to beef up its reserves as prices worldwide surged due to growing demand and a spike in fuel and fertiliser costs.

Farmers' groups have warned that rice prices could rise a further 40 per cent in the coming months and trigger protests.

So far, there has been no unrest, except sporadic left-wing protests blaming President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's administration for mismanaging the food situation. Officials insist there is no shortage. — AP