Hontiveros, Pangilinan urge Congress to act as rice imports flood market

Minority Senator Risa Hontiveros and majority member Senator Kiko Pangilinan have called on lawmakers in the House of Representatives to act swiftly to protect Filipino farmers from the impact of increased rice imports.

The senators are pushing for the passage of Joint Resolution No. 2, which seeks to revoke Executive Order No. 62. Signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in June 2024, the order cut rice import tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent.

“EO 62 may have been issued under delegated authority, but its effects have been devastating to our farmers,” Hontiveros said.

“Bumaha ng imported na bigas at dahil sa mababang presyo nito, labis na naapektuhan ang kanilang kabuhayan. Congress must withdraw that power, or there may be no harvest by October. Farmers will refuse to plant, knowing they’ll only incur losses,” she added.

According to Hontiveros, the Philippines imported a record 4.8 million metric tons of rice in 2024, making it the world’s largest rice importer.

“This massive influx, made cheaper by lower tariffs, undercuts our local farmers, many of whom now sell their palay for less than the cost of production,” she said.

She also highlighted the timing of EO 62’s signing, just before global rice prices declined. “Thai 5% broken rice was priced at USD 632 per metric ton when the EO was signed. Today, it’s down to just $419. That’s a 33% drop on top of the tariff cuts. It’s a perfect storm for our farmers.”

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Hontiveros said farmers were selling palay at just P16.90 per kilogram in June 2025, down from over P24.90 per kilogram the previous year. This figure is above the P13.38 per kilogram average production cost in 2023, excluding expenses such as drying, transport, and storage.

“Sa Mindoro at iba pang probinsya, halos wala nang kinikita ang ating mga magsasaka. They are planting at a loss,” she warned. “If this continues, many will simply stop planting. Why invest when they know they can’t recover their costs?”

Hontiveros also criticized the government for not presenting clear plans to reverse or review the tariff cuts. “During budget deliberations, I repeatedly asked the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for concrete mechanisms to evaluate EO 62 and possibly raise tariffs again to protect our domestic producers. So far, we’ve heard nothing firm. Our farmers remain in limbo.”

Farmers remain poor

Pangilinan echoed these concerns and called on the Marcos Jr. administration to act decisively to improve farmers’ incomes.

"Pinakain ang mamamayang Pilipino pero ano ang sinukli ng lipunan? What did society, in return, give them (farmers) for their sacrifice?" Pangilinan asked during an interpellation on Monday regarding proposed amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

"Anong klaseng lipunan ang sasabihing katanggap-tanggap ito? Kaya ito ang dahilan bakit nais nating imbestigahan ang isyu na ito at magawan ng paraan," he added.

One of Pangilinan’s first measures in the 20th Congress was to file a Senate resolution seeking to investigate and possibly amend the RTL and revive the regulatory powers of the National Food Authority (NFA) to ensure rice supply and price stability.

"Our farmers have been unjustly denied the support and the recognition of a society who has been fed by them. Makakaasa kayo na we will look into this and find solutions and recommend solutions," said Pangilinan, now chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform.

Aside from proposing RTL amendments, Pangilinan wants to probe the lack of implementation of the 2019 Sagip Saka Act, which allows national and local governments to buy food directly from farmers and fisherfolk.

He has also filed a Senate resolution to investigate the persistently high prices of food and the impact of commercial fishing within the 15-kilometer municipal waters on small-scale fishers.