As I walked through the barangay road where the palay occupies the road instead of cars, I couldn't help but reflect on the choices farmers have to make with the lack of infra to support them, including problems in the rising cost of fertilizers, the unpredictability of the weather, and the stubbornly low buying price of palay. It was disappointing. The market price of palay, or unmilled rice, stands at only eight pesos per kilo. Yes, eight pesos. A number so small it barely captures the sweat, the aching backs, the hours beneath the sun, and the generations of knowledge poured into every grain.
The eight pesos reflect not the value of palay, but the value we have chosen to assign to the people who grow it.
As a community doctor, I’ve long understood that food security is fundamental to population health. When families do not have stable access to nutritious and affordable food, diseases multiply. Malnutrition, anemia, lifestyle diseases, mental stress, and even intergenerational poverty will just persist. But seeing the farmers’ struggles up close reminds me that the health of our food system is inseparable from the health of the people who cultivate it. When the ones who feed us cannot feed their own families, we actually make the entire nation malnourished physically, socially, and morally.
The Gospel of Luke reminds us, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” This is not just a spiritual teaching but a call for social justice. The price of palay calls us to check where our moral compass is pointing in terms of justice, dignity, and compassion. Honoring those who labor honestly is a reflection of who we are as a society. But in many ways, we have failed to honor our farmers. We have underpriced their produce, overlooked their needs, and taken their labor for granted.
Health may be measured by medical instruments, but the community will really tell us the real status of our health.
