House agri panel chief defends RTL changes

THE chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food assured the public on Monday that the bill amending the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) bears enough safeguards to restore the authority of the National Food Authority (NFA) in stabilizing rice prices and regulating the staple food’s supply.

In a press conference, House Committee on Agriculture and Food Chairman Mark Enverga addressed Senator Cynthia Villar’s apprehensions on granting the NFA the power to directly import and sell rice, clarifying that such actions would only be taken in emergency situations.

“Before the NFA had a monopoly in terms of rice imports, they had a monopoly in terms of regulation. I would like to assure our counterparts in the Senate that this is a different scenario. In fact, their presence would be very limited—only in emergency situations, and importation is merely a last resort,” he said.

Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, had opposed reinstating the NFA’S authority to import and sell rice, citing concerns about corruption and questioning the agency’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare of rice farmers and consumers.

While acknowledging Villar’s concerns about corruption and the NFA’S commitment to safeguarding farmers and consumers, Enverga stressed the need to trust the NFA with its technical expertise and the critical function of price stabilization.

“I think NFA is the rightful agency or administration that could handle this matter, especially the price stabilization function,” Enverga explained. “In terms of importation, their worry is usually about that. And as I’ve mentioned, importation would be the last resort, so we put in stringent safeguard measures here, and we know for a fact that the NFA Council is very powerful,” Enverga explained.

Enverga said he will brief the senators on the contents and objectives of the substitute bill amending RTL.

The substitute measure—house Bill (HB) No. 10381—not only restores the NFA’S price stabilization and supply regulation functions but also authorizes it to require registration of all grain warehouses, conduct inspections to ensure compliance with rice quality and supply standards, and mandate the maintenance of sufficient buffer stock requirements sourced from local farmers’ organizations and cooperatives.

The bill will bolster the regulatory authority of the Bureau of Plant and Industry, ensuring warehouse compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary standards.

The bill’s core focus is the continuation of the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund (RCEF), aimed at providing a long-term solution to challenges within the rice industry.

The House plenary started deliberations on the RTL amendment bill on Monday, with approval on second reading expected by Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the amendments proposed in House Bill 10381 also aim to enhance the effectiveness of the RCEF, established under the RTL, by increasing its annual appropriation from P10 billion to P15 billion and extending its period for another six years.

The proposed fund allocation will now designate 53.5 percent for farm mechanization components, 29.7 percent for seed components, 3.3 percent for training, 6 percent for rice credit assistance, 4 percent for soil, 2 percent for pest management, and 1.5 percent for the Rice Industry Development Project Management Office (PMO).

According to Committee on Agriculture and Food Vice Chairperson Mikaela Angela Suansing, one of the bill’s authors, an average of P29 billion annually from tariff revenues is expected.