RTL amendment bill hurdles House 2nd reading
If the bill is passed into law, the NFA could use its buffer stocks to supply areas facing a rice shortage
Daily TribuneIf the bill is passed into law, the NFA could use its buffer stocks to supply areas facing a rice shortage
A bill to amend Republic Act 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), as a way to curb skyrocketing rice prices, hurdled the second reading in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
House Bill 10381, approved via voice vote, seeks to reinstate several primary functions of the National Food Authority (NFA), including its price stabilization and supply regulation authority, which was removed under the RTL enacted in 2019.
If the bill is passed into law, the NFA could use its buffer stocks to supply areas facing a rice shortage, a sustained increase in demand, or an extraordinary increase in the cost of rice.
This condition falls under a food security emergency, which the Department of Agriculture secretary may declare upon the recommendation of the National Price Coordinating Council and Local Price Coordinating Council.
In times of food security emergency, the country could resort to importation only if no local stocks from the NFA are available.
The amendments also seek to revive the NFA’s warehouse registration and monitoring powers “to ensure compliance with all pertinent standards and regulations, leveraging its established expertise and nationwide network to uphold the national interest in rice buffer stocking and food security.”
Speaker Martin Romualdez earlier said the House amendments to the RTL would lower the cost of the staple grain by at least P10 to P15 per kilo, with prices to come near the P30 per kilo mark.
Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, has expressed her strong objection to the House proposal.
Villar said the “majority” of the senators are also against reinstating the NFA’s regulatory and import licensing functions, citing previous instances when the agency was embroiled in various corruption scandals regarding rice importation.
House leaders have vowed to provide the proposed law with enough safety nets to ensure that there would less chances for corruption.
