The House Committee on Agriculture and Food called out the officials of the Department of Agriculture for failing to deliver its commitment to stabilize the cost of rice after the harvest season.

ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo, during Wednesday's briefing of the DA on the rising prices of rice and egg, quizzed DA officials over the disparities between the promised stabilization and the current market prices of rice.

Tulfo, the House deputy majority leader for communications, recalled DA's assertion during the months of July, August and September that the cost of rice would be stabilized after the harvest season.

September marked the beginning of the rice harvest season, which continued through October.

In August, DA Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian told lawmakers that the cost of the staple grain is seen to destabilize at P45 to P46 by the harvest time.

The DA reiterated in September that prices of palay may stabilize until October, with over 5 million metric tons of grain expected to be harvested during the said months.

"The problem is when Speaker and I made the rounds, we didn't see a decrease in the price of rice," Tulfo stressed.

In late November, Speaker Martin Romualdez and Tulfo made a surprise price inspection at the Farmers Plaza in Cubao to ensure that costs of essential commodities such as vegetables and rice fall within SRP ahead of the holidays.

The House leaders staged the surprise inspection to stave off price gouging of essential goods during the Christmas rush, which traders usually take advantage of.

However, Tulfo lamented that despite the DA's guaranteed stabilization—rice prices have stayed high— varying between P52 to P60 per kg.

The prices are still significantly distant from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s target of P20 per kilo of rice.

"Whatever happened to that promise na bababa [ang presyo ng bigas], because people were waiting? Bakit hindi po bumaba?" Tulfo asked.