Extra rice, please!

When we eat, wether at home or at a local carinderia, we almost always order for extra rice. Some, however, would later leave their plate with a lot of wastes on their plate. The reason is simple. We take everything for granted. We take rice for granted.
Filipinos eat rice more than any other nation in the world. According to the Department of Agriculture, rice feeds 90% to 95% of the country's close to 90 million popupulation. We start eating rice cereal at the early age of one. Even as an infant, some of us are fed with am, which our parents use as alternative to the more expensive infant formula. We eat rice, sometimes even for breakfast. Sinangag or fried rice is commonly served with tapa, fried egg, tuyo, or sardinas. At lunch, we can't work without eating a plateful of rice. Even at night, we eat rice sometimes twice when we are at home. But when it comes to wasting rice, Filipinos are also number one.
I eat rice perhaps more than any member of the family. Even when I wake up late at night, instead of a midnight snack, I eat rice. My dad used to joke in the morning that some cat ate all of our food the previous night, then would look and smile at me.
Why rice. Well, no other food in the world can be better source of energy. Rice is easy to grow. The Philippines used to be one of the world's rice producer. Until, of course, we got used to importing them because farmers no longer find planting rice profitable. Land conversion is being blamed for the poor rice production. The shrinking area devoted to rice because most landowners sell them to real estate developers who in turn make a subdivision, a golf course, mall or commercial complex out of what used to be ricefields.
Of course, the government is also to be blamed for failing to develop Philippine agriculture. Imagine despite all those years that our rice production is falling short of increasing demand, we have not invested in irrigation to ensure adequate rice will be produced. Talking about food (in)security.
Now, we are facing a rice crisis. Not because there are no more supply of rice, but because unscrupulous traders take advantage of the panic buying among consumers that was triggered by irresponsible media reporting that there's rice supply shortage. This was aggravated by the NFA's failure to secure adequate supply of rice to strike a balance between the price of commercial rice and government subsidized rice during these crucial times when the government can't stop panic buying and can't impose price control among local traders. And why not, most government officials are the ones involved in price manipulation and excessive rice importation for their own vested interests.
Today, we say please for an extra cup of rice when eating at a fancy restaurant or carinderia.
Tomorrow, we may be begging for even our first cup of rice.
Soon enough, we will be eating corn and cassava because there will be no more rice.
Kaya habang meron pa, let's enjoy eating rice and whenever we ask for extra rice, let's not forget to say "please."