Speaker sets eyes on 2025 budget approval
The House of Representatives and the Senate are close to an agreement on the amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law, following Speaker Martin Romualdez’s first official meeting with Senate President Francis Escudero.
“It looks like the House and the Senate are coming to an agreement and it looks like it’s close. We will have a good resolution,” Romualdez said at the sidelines of the Agriculture Convergence Event in Tiaong town, Quezon.
He also said the House of Representatives will prioritize the approval of the P6.2 trillion national budget after the 19th Congress opens its third and last regular session,
“After the SONA (State of the Nation Address) of the President,we will focus on the budget for 2025,” Romualdez said.
The event last Friday afternoon marked the district launch of the Farmers Assistance for Recovery and Modernization program and the payout of assistance under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay Para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program of the Department of Labor and Employment.
As guest of honor and keynote speaker during the event organized by Quezon Rep. David Suarez, Romualdez cited the ongoing efforts to amend the RTL to provide further support to farmers and relief to consumers grappling from high rice prices.
He emphasized the chamber’s support for the National Food Authority and its initiative to sell rice purchased directly from farmers to the public.
“We still have many partners in the aspiration to grow our agricultural sector. There is the NFA that we are helping in the House of Representatives to resell the rice they bought from you directly to our countrymen,” he said.
He underscored that the efforts, including the proposed amendments to the RTL, reflected the unwavering commitment to support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of revitalizing the agricultural sector and uplifting the lives of Filipino farmers.
“Amending the Rice Tariffication Law is a crucial step towards ensuring food security and economic stability for our farmers,” he said.
“We are committed to making quality rice affordable for all Filipinos while boosting the livelihoods of our local farmers,” he added.
Romualdez said Congress would continue to fund the workers’ assistance program.
The suggested changes in the law seek to reinstate the palay-buying and rice-selling mandate of the National Food Authority so the agency could influence rice prices in the retail market.
Speaker Romualdez has said the recent decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reduce rice import tariff from 35 percent to 15 percent and direct rice sales to consumers would significantly bring down the price of the staple.
