Bello questions Pangilinan’s abstain vote on rice tariffication

Former lawmaker Walden Bello on Sunday questioned Senator Francis Pangilinan over his stand on the Rice Tariffication Law that, according to the former, adversely affects local farmers.

Bello and Pangilinan are both running for vice president in Eleksyon 2022.

"How can you say that you are an advocate of the farmers when you abstained on the biggest law that would affect the farmers of the decade, 'yung Rice Tariffication Act, he abstained..." Bello asked Pangilinan during the Comelec PiliPinas Debates 2022: The Turning Point for vice presidential candidates.

"Did you go to the CR when that happened? Hindi ho maaari 'yan, [That cannot happen] you cannot go to the CR on a very decisive vote like that," he further said.

In response, Pangilinan said he had reservations on the measure.

"That is precisely why I abstained because I had reservations in supporting it. We moved to amend the law, and it has been amended to provide cash assistance to rice farmers, we will move to amend it again to increase allocation of the tariff collected that will directly support farmers and fisherfolk," Pangilinan said.

Signed into law in February 2019, the rice tariffication removed the quantitative restrictions on rice and imposed a 35% tariff on imports from the country's neighbors in Southeast Asia.

The measure allows unlimited importation of rice as long as private sector traders secure a phytosanitary permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry and pay the 35-percent tariff for shipments from neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Several farmers' groups have opposed the law and called for its repeal, saying it will kill Filipino tillers as palay prices fall due to the flooding of the market with imported rice.

Bello further questioned Pangilinan's "doubts" on the measure.

"Alam naman ni Senator Pangilinan 'yung ating compliance with the WTO including this last one, the Rice Tariffication Act, they force that on us and he failed to oppose it... kunyari raw may doubts siya, I mean this is crazy political getting out of an impossible situation..." he said.

[Senator Pangilinan knows our compliance with the WTO including this last one, the Rice Tarrification Act. They force that on us and he failed to oppose it. He claims to have doubts, I mean this is crazy political getting out of an impossible situation.]

Pangilinan said he respects the view of Bello but he noted that he disagrees with it.

"Rice Tariffication was passed March 2019, Sagip Saka was passed April 2019 [in the Senate] so national government can directly buy from rice farmers and other [agricultural] products, that is why we pushed for that because of the impact of Rice Tariffication," Pangilinan said.

"I beg to disagree that we are crazy or not aware of the effects of Rice Tariffication... I abstained because I had reservations," he said. "If you disagree with my vote, we should agree to disagree." — RSJ, GMA News