North Cotabato rubber tappers seek higher buying price

KIDAPAWAN CITY --Rubber tappers in North Cotabato are crying for higher buying price of rubber cup lump as prices continue to drop they believed was due to monopoly.Jerry Alborme,Free Tappers Federation (FTF), told DXND Radyo Bida that capitalists are controlling and manipulating prices of raw rubber products, putting the ordinary tappers under their control.He said rubber traders in North Cotabato are in cahoots with big time rubber traders like theDAVCO, SUPREME, Pharma, Pacheco, Pioneer and Platinum rubber firms. Platinum is owned by a certain Mr.Sandique who is from Makilala, North Cotabato.Alborme said the FTF went to the rubber firms asking them, politely, to at least raise the buying price of raw rubber by P5. But their appeal fell on deaf ears.Worst, Alborme said, the government turned a blind eye on the plight of ordinary rubber tappers in North Cotabato.He said unseen hands are behind the buying price manipulation in the province.