Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday expressed full support for the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) proposal to overhaul the National Food Authority (NFA) to bring down rice prices, help farmers, and stabilize the country’s food supply system.
The proposal, formally submitted by the DA to Malacañang last week, seeks to restore the NFA’s power to directly intervene in the rice market, especially by buying palay at competitive prices and maintaining buffer stocks to temper price spikes.
The measure also envisions a reorganized agency with a clearer mandate to support Filipino farmers and protect consumers.
The leader of the 306-strong House of Representatives said the lower chamber will immediately act on the proposed bill once it is transmitted to Congress, citing strong public demand for reforms in the rice industry amid persistent food inflation.
“This proposal speaks to the unity of purpose among members of the House majority coalition: to prioritize the needs of ordinary Filipinos, especially the farmers who feed our nation and the consumers who struggle with rising food prices,” Romualdez said.
“The ordinary Filipino family suffers the most with the high cost of rice. The good news is that the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is doing everything in its power to address this, and this NFA revamp bill is one way to lower food prices, empower farmers, and protect our consumers,” he added.
Under the proposal, the NFA will be empowered to purchase palay at fair farmgate prices and maintain a more robust buffer stocking system, allowing it to step in when prices spike due to calamities, hoarding, or market manipulation.
The draft bill also includes provisions for price supports, post-harvest facilities, and better coordination between the NFA and local governments, which the Speaker said will help ensure stable food supplies at the community level.
The bill is in line with the Marcos administration’s Bagong Pilipinas governance framework, which aims to deliver whole-of-government responses to inflation, poverty, and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Romualdez reiterated that the House supermajority is fully behind the push to pass the measure as soon as possible: “We will not allow politics to get in the way of protecting the public. In unity with the Executive, we will move quickly and decisively to pass a measure that helps both ends of the supply chain.”
