The House of Representatives on Wednesday expressed full support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to suspend all rice importation for 60 days starting September 1, describing the move as timely, necessary, and aligned with the top legislative priority of the chamber under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In a press conference, House spokesperson lawyer Princess Abante said the President’s move is in line with the House’s push to ensure affordable, accessible rice for Filipino families while protecting local farmers from rising production costs.
“That is why our House Bill 1 is the RICE Act, right? Because it is important to address the issue of ensuring that there is affordable, accessible rice for our Filipino families and our farmers will continue to be protected from rising prices,” Abante said in a mix of English and Filipino.
She added that the 60-day suspension presents an opportunity to address problems in rice pricing and to strengthen the support needed by local farmers across the country: “I hope this time can also be used to really fix the problem regarding the price of rice and we can strengthen the support that our local farmers need.”
Filed by Romualdez on the opening day of the 20th Congress, the proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act, seeks to reform the National Food Authority (NFA) to stabilize rice supply, lower market prices, and protect Filipino farmers from exploitation.
The measure, co-authored by Tingog party-list Reps. Jude Acidre and Andrew Julian Romualdez, proposes to restore key regulatory powers to the NFA, including the authority to license and inspect grain warehouses, seize hoarded stocks, and intervene in the market during artificial shortages or price spikes.
“Rice is life, and it is the soul of every Filipino family’s dining table. That is why this bill is the very first we filed in the 20th Congress… It reflects our singular focus on the daily struggle of every Filipino family to put affordable food on the table, and the need to reward our farmers with fair prices for their hard work,” Romualdez previously said.
