Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Tuesday said the House of Representatives is working on changes in the Rice Tariffication Law to bring down the price of staple by P10-15 per kilo.
He told reporters in an interview that the House of Representatives is targeting to reduce the retail price of rice to P30 per kilo, from the present P40-45 to more than P50.
He said he would ask President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to certify the proposed amendments as urgent so these could be enacted as soon as possible.
“We are doing this because the President said we have to find ways to lower the price of rice. So, what we are targeting is that by June, we should bring the price of rice down by at least P10 or even P15, which is close to P30 pesos per kilo,” he said.
The President also said his administration will do this “by having the NFA (National Food Authority) bring to the market affordable rice so citizens can buy at an affordable price of P30. These are the amendments that we can speed up.”
He added that the House would coordinate with the Office of the President on the proposed amendments.
Romualdez asked the Senate to work on similar changes in the law.
“This is what our President really wants: to lower the price of our rice for the people. That’s our announcement because our Committee on Agriculture will hold these hearings every day to insert these amendments so that we can have a lower price of rice for everyone,” he said
He explained that the amendments would include tariff rates, taxes and the expanded authority of the NFA to purchase palay from farmers.
The House leader pointed out that reducing the price of rice “is a priority of the President.”
“We share in the urgency because you know that our dear President does not want our Filipino people, the consumers, and of course the rice buyers to suffer. There should be a proper price of rice that everyone can afford,” Romualdez said.
As this developed, Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, agreed on the need to revisit the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to enhance its effectiveness and responsiveness to the changing demands of stakeholders in the rice industry.
Enverga expressed his stance during a briefing led by Department of Agriculture (DA) officials, where the committee sought insights into the RTL’s impact, particularly on rice farmers and the broader agricultural sector, five years after its enactment.
In his opening statement, Enverga emphasized the necessity of the review to ensure that the law effectively addresses the challenges and opportunities facing rice farmers and the agricultural sector as a whole.
“The gains and pains of Republic Act No. 11203, the Rice Tariffication Law, has always been one of the main topics or issues in the agriculture sector,” Enverga pointed out.
He also said, “We cannot deny the fact that the law has accorded millions of rice farmers the much-needed assistance. However, the law is always challenged when it comes to rice supply and rice prices.”
The RTL, which came into effect on March 5, 2019, replaced the previous quantitative restrictions on imported rice with tariffs ranging from 35% to 40% and established the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund (RCEF), funded by the tariff revenues.
Despite its intentions, critics of the RTL argued that the law has not succeeded in reducing the cost of rice. They asserted that it has instead exacerbated the challenges faced by local farmers, as cheaper imports flood the market.
Calls for amendments to address these issues have gained momentum, with both government officials and private stakeholders advocating revisions to enhance the law’s responsiveness to public needs.