Rural Rising faces backlash over “unsold garlic” claim in Batanes post

DA official disputes group’s figures, saying most garlic already procured while netizens question coordination and messaging.

Rural Rising (RuRi) Philippines faces backlash over claims tied to its “unsold crop” posts, after figures it shared about garlic stocks in Batanes were disputed by a Department of Agriculture (DA) official.

On June 21, the group offered to sell 1,000 kilos of garlic “needing immediate rescuing” from Itbayat, Batanes. RuRi claimed that 50 metric tons (50,000 kg) of garlic in the province were at risk of potential spoilage due to being unsold.

It further said the provincial government wanted them to take at least 10 mt (10,000 kg).

However, a regional Department of Agriculture employee disputed the figures, saying these were misleading.

“Correction po, there is no 50 mt of garlic unsold in Itbayat, Batanes. Bulk of the produce was already procured by the Department of Agriculture Region 2,” said DA staff Joan Gonzales Blanca in a Facebook post on June 22.

She added that only 10 mt of garlic remain unsold, since these were set aside by the regional DA for research and monitoring purposes. On her profile, Blanca says she is an employee of the agency’s Island Agricultural Research Outreach Station, which oversees Batanes.

RuRi later revised its post, removing the 50 mt claim. “We’re happy to report that about 40 of the 50 tons of Itbayat garlic was already bought by the good folks at DA Batanes,” it said in a follow-up post.

Despite the update, netizens continued to criticize the organization for what they saw as weak coordination with farmers and local agencies, with some saying the group had been misleading buyers.

“You should’ve known about the 40 mt purchase from the start if you were really coordinating with small-scale farmers and relevant agencies. You can’t be ‘happy to report’ na para bang kayo ang dahilan why it happened,” said chef and food advocate Jayson Maulit.

Established in 2020, RuRi began as a Facebook group helping farmers sell surplus crops amid COVID-19 mobility restrictions. The group eventually called these crops “rescue buys” and has since set up physical stores and pick-up locations.

RuRi attempted to trademark the term “rescue buy” for advertising purposes in 2024 but was unsuccessful. The group has re-filed a trademark application in May this year, which remains pending but has already drawn criticism from food advocates.

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