MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang and the Department of Agriculture (DA) are pushing Congress to revisit the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) and give more regulatory functions to the National Food Authority (NFA).
“Maganda po sana po ‘no, mabigyan muli ng authority ang NFA, kasi nawalan po talaga sila ng power para po umangkat ng bigas,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing on Wednesday, March 26.
(It would be good if NFA be given the authority again as they lost the power to import rice.)
Under the Marcos administration, the agriculture department has been calling for stronger regulatory powers to the NFA so that it can intervene in the market by releasing and selling rice stocks to the public.
This can be done by amending the RTL, which was passed in 2019 to diminish NFA’s function on releasing rice stocks bought from local farmers.
“I hope mapag-aralan muli ng Kongreso itong Rice Tariffication Act para po maayos din po at mabigyan po ng tamang authority ang NFA,” added Castro.
(I hope Congress reviews again the Rice Tariffication Act so we can fix this and give proper authority to the NFA.)
The law had been revised recently, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on December 9, 2024. This allowed the DA to declare a food security emergency on rice due to supply shortage or extraordinary increase in prices. A food emergency would allow the NFA to release its stocks, but only the DA can sell NFA rice to local government units.
Declaring a food emergency last February, the DA hoped to release cheap NFA rice to the public, influence a decrease in rice prices, and free up warehouses for palay harvest season.
However, almost two months since declaration, only four local government units had bought NFA rice to resell to the public. These are Navotas, San Juan, Camarines Sur, and Cotabato City.
“Patuloy tayong nananawagan na sana makapag-release, makapag-intervene sa market ang NFA without necessarily having a declaration of emergency,” said DA spokesman Arnel de Mesa in a press briefing on Wednesday.
(We continue our call that the NFA be able to release and intervene in the market without necessarily having a declaration of emergency.)
De Mesa said there had been discussions between the agency and Congress about the issue.
“Na-recognize naman, especially ni Congressman [Joey] Salceda, ‘yung limitasyon noong naipasang batas,” he said. De Mesa was referring to the amended RTL that the Marcos signed on December 2024.
Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda led the quinta committee at the House of Representatives which investigated high rice prices, alleged smuggling, hoarding of rice, and possible collusion among importers, traders, and retailers.
“Of course, syempre, kakapasa lamang noong amiyenda,” De Mesa added. “Alam naman natin din how difficult it is to pass from one amendment to another. Of course, it will take some time.”
(Of course, the amendments were only recently passed. We know how difficult it is to pass from one amendment to another. Of course, it will take some time.)
NFA difficulties amid harvest season
Despite a food security emergency declaration, the NFA had only released 9,900 out of 59,270 sacks of rice as of March 25, according to the DA.
The Federation of Free Farmers disapproved of the agriculture department’s “apparent unpreparedness” for palay harvest season. The group alleged that the NFA is unable to “absorb farmers’ crops due to the congestion of the agency’s warehouses.”
Reports of farmers’ deaths, allegedly linked to low palay prices, had various groups calling out the agency.
In a statement on Tuesday, March 25, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. urged lawmakers to “pass legislation that would better empower the DA” to address dropping palay prices.
“We are doing this with one hand tied behind our back,” Tiu Laurel said. “We need some of the NFA’s powers back — if not to the agency itself, then to the DA — to better address the challenges we face.”
Peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, meanwhile, held a protest outside the Department of Agrarian Reform on Wednesday demanding the repeal of the RTL.
“Since the passage of the Rice Liberalization Law in 2019, the Philippines has become the world’s top rice importer, with local farmers suffering from depressed farm gate prices and expensive production costs,” the group said on Wednesday. – Rappler.com