Senate probe into ‘contradicting’ rice regulation policies sought

Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution seeking to investigate the "uncoordinated and contradicting policies on rice regulation."

In filing proposed Senate Resolution 794, Hontiveros said there is an "evident lack of leadership, coordination, and cohesion in the country’s policies on rice regulation, to the grave risk and detriment of the people."

The opposition lawmaker’s resolution focuses on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Executive Order No. 39, which imposed a price ceiling on regular and well-milled rice.

Hontiveros cited the opposition from economists who warned that EO 39, which took effect on September 5, will cause enormous losses to farmers and retailers, lead to greater economic strain on consumers, and promote the very ills it professes to remedy.

"[I]ndeed, EO 39 may likely encourage rather than curb hoarding, profiteering, and the proliferation of cartels—a former Department of Agriculture undersecretary predicts that ‘we will soon see rice shortages, black markets, and rice queues,’ making rice even less accessible and risking critical supply gaps that hurt the poorest of Filipinos most," the senator said.

The minority lawmaker likewise mentioned Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno’s recent admission that the economic team was not consulted on the mandatory price ceiling.

"These extreme and conflicting policies are thrown around even as the National Food Authority has failed to utilize its [P7 billion] subsidy to maintain a sufficient rice buffer stock sourced solely from local farmers, as mandated by Republic Act No. 11203 (Rice Tariffication Law)," she said.

''Such a proposal would also contradict the administration’s past statements bolstering the need for government-to-government importation of rice," she added.

On Monday, Diokno clarified that the economic team supports the implementation of a price cap on rice.

“We agree with the President that implementing a price cap on rice is the most prudent course of action at the moment to achieve two critical objectives: stabilizing rice prices and extending immediate support to our fellow countrymen,” he said.

GMA News Online has reached out to Malacañang and the office of Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban to comment on the matter, but they have yet to respond as of posting time. —VBL, GMA Integrated News