DA gains Senate ally in RTL push

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has found strong backing in the Senate for its proposal to amend the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to modernize and future-proof the country’s P385-billion rice industry.

Senator Francis Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, expressed his full support for the initiative during a Monday briefing at the DA office, where Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. laid out the risks facing the sector unless the law is revised.

Tiu Laurel cited mounting challenges, including the influx of cheaper and higher-quality imports, shifting consumer preferences, unregulated importation, and reduced milling and drying capacity following the redefined role of the National Food Authority (NFA). He also stressed the DA’s limited powers — alongside the NFA — to stabilize markets, manage buffer stocks, and set a floor price for palay.

The meeting came after a similar dialogue with Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, whose inputs helped bolster the DA’s recommendation for a temporary halt in rice importation. This led to Malacañang’s announcement of a two-month import freeze beginning 1 September.

“Our fighting target is to get these proposed amendments to the RTL enacted into law before the start of the harvest season, which begins March next year. If we could convince President Marcos to certify a bill that includes all these amendments as urgent, then we should get this passed sooner,” Tiu Laurel said.

“And with this visit of Senator Pangilinan, we are confident we could secure the backing of the Senate for these amendments that could ensure the modernization of the rice industry and the overall agriculture sector, securing a better future for our hardworking farmers and fisherfolk,” he added.

At the House, Speaker Martin Romualdez has already filed House Bill No. 1 — the so-called RICE Act — which contains the revisions sought by the DA.

For his part, Pangilinan said Tiu Laurel’s vision aligns with his own goal of a food-secure Philippines and a more prosperous agriculture sector.

“We don’t only share the same name — we also share the same vision for Philippine agriculture. We have the same priority, especially on the revision of the Rice Tariffication Law,” Pangilinan said.

“We need to fix a lot of things in the current RTL, as well as improve the provision of direct support and extension services for farmers and fisherfolk, down to the grassroots level,” he added, underscoring the need to strengthen cooperatives to boost productivity and yields.

The two officials also discussed the Sagip Saka program, a measure authored by Pangilinan to promote sustainable, modern agriculture by helping farmers and fisherfolk increase incomes and build stronger public-private partnerships.

Pangilinan stressed that Congress must act quickly, given the limited time for the Marcos administration to implement the needed reforms for the agriculture sector.