THE House of Representatives on Monday began its plenary debate on a bill amending the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to include sufficient safeguards in restoring the power of the National Food Authority (NFA) to stabilize rice prices and regulate the supply of the staple food.
As this developed, Rep. Mark Enverga of Quezon sought to allay concerns raised by his Senate counterpart, Sen. Cynthia Villar, regarding the grant to the NFA the authority to directly import and sell rice.
Enverga stressed that such actions would only trigger emergency situations.
“Before, the NFA had monopoly in terms of rice imports, they had monopoly in terms of regulation. I would like to assure our counterparts in the Senate that this is a different scenario. In fact, very limited ang kanilang (NFA) magiging presence dito (their presence here will be very limited) —only in case of emergency situations and importation is merely a last resort,” Enverga said during a press conference at the House of Representatives.
Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, had expressed opposition to 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, Enverga stressed the necessity of entrusting 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.
“Regarding importation, I think they (senators) mentioned that their concern was always importation. 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 here wherein they could also stipulate their own safeguard measures,” Enverga said.
In any case, Enverga stated his intention to brief the senators on the contents and objectives of the substitute bill amending RTL, which his committee approved last week.
The substitute measure—House Bill (HB) No. 10381—not only restores the NFA’s price stabilization and supply regulation functions, but also authorizes the agency to require registration of all grain warehouses, conduct inspections to ensure compliance with rice quality and supply standards, and mandates the maintenance of sufficient buffer stock requirements sourced from local farmers’ organizations and cooperatives.
The bill will additionally bolster the regulatory authority of the Bureau of Plant and Industry, ensuring warehouse compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
The core focus of the bill lies in 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 is expected to commence deliberations on the RTL amendment bill on Tuesday, with approval on second reading expected by Wednesday.
