Marcos to certify as urgent proposed amendments to Rice Tariffication Law

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is amenable to certifying as urgent the proposed amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law.

In an interview with Palace reporters, Marcos said rice prices increase due to the competition of traders.

“It is something that has come up, so that… ang problema kasi, kaya tumataas ang presyo ng bigas dahil ang mga trader ay nagcocompete, pataasan sila ng presyuhan sa pagbili ng palay at wala tayong kontrol doon,” Marcos said.

“Kung magkaroon ng amendments sa… NFA charter at Rice Tarrification Law, magagawan natin, makokontrol natin, may influence tayo sa presyuhan sa pagbili ng palay at pagbenta ng bigas,” he added

Asked if he would certify it as urgent, Marcos said, “Yes, I think it justifies the urgent certification.”

In an ambush interview, Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said that the agency welcomes this development.

“We welcome, of course, na ma-amyendahan ‘yung Rice Tariffication Law. Again, mage-end na ‘yung RTL natin this year,” De Mesa said during the turnover ceremony of the chairmanship of the Philippine Inter-Agency Committee on Zoonoses (PhilCZ) to DA in Quezon City.

(We welcome that the Rice Tariffication Law will be amended as the RTL will end this year.)

“Mas maganda kung na-certify siya as urgent ng ating mahal na Pangulo para mas mapabilis ang pag-amyenda sa Rice Tariffication Law,” the DA spokesperson added.

(It would be better if the RTL would be certified as urgent by the President to speed up its amendment.)

The DA said Sunday it supports the proposal to restore the National Food Authority (NFA)’s authority to buy rice and sell it at a cheaper price

This, after Speaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday said that the House of Representatives will pass a bill amending the RTL that would allow NFA to buy and sell rice.

The DA, however, appealed for the NFA not to sell rice in low amounts. If the prevailing price is at around P50 per kilo, the DA official suggested the NFA sell it at around P40 per kilo.

“‘Wag masyadong mababa ang presyo ng ibebenta kagaya ng P25 [per kilo] kasi masyadong malulugi nang malaki ang NFA. ‘Yan din kasi ang isa sa reasons kung bakit naipasa ang RTL na ini-alis ang kapangyarihan, dahil ang laki ng lugi ng NFA,” De Mesa said.

(The selling price should not be too low, like around P25 per kilo because the NFA will lose too much. That is also one of the reasons why the RTL was passed because the NFA incurred too much loss.)

Based on DA’s latest data, the price of local regular milled rice was P50 per kilo, and P48 to P55 per kilo for local well-milled rice.

As for imported commercial rice, the regular milled rice was priced at P48 to P51 per kilo, while well-milled rice was at P51 to P54. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News