Rice prices from earlier this year. (MANILA BULLETIN) 

President Marcos' allies in the in the House of Representatives are still not giving up on the Chief Executive's dream of achieving P20 per kilo rice. 

This, after Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda bared Friday, Oct. 4 that among the "tangible goals" of the newly-formed "quinta-committee" or quinta-comm was to "chart a path to P20/kg rice". 

Salceda, chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, made this revelation in the context of his call for continued vigilance on rice inflation, "which the poor tend to be most sensitive to". 

To reduce the retail price of rice--the country’s staple food--down to P20 per kilo was one one President Marcos' campaign promises back in 2022. 

Whether or not it will come true before the end of his term in 2028 remains to be seen, but the quinta-comm apparently wants to put some kind on plan to paper. 

"The House of Representatives has already established a five-committee panel on food security and food prices. My Committee, the Committee on Ways and Means, will be the principal committee for this effort. Other constituent committees are Trade and Industry, Food and Agriculture, Social Services, and Special Committee on Food Security," Salceda said. 

Salceda said the quinta-comm will also pursue measures to increase the annual gross value added (GVA) growth in agriculture to at least two percent, "so that it catches up with our population growth"; also to reduce agricultural production losses from as much as 30 percent to 15 percent (and halve the post-harvest losses in vegetables and fruits from 42 percent and 28 percent respectively, to about half of each number). 

The Bicolano said he also wants to "bring livestock and poultry prices in Philippines to regionally competitive levels". 

"We hope to make real and structural improvements to our food systems, similar to the numerous accomplishments of the House Joint Hearings on Senior Citizens and PWD (persons with disabilities) benefits earlier this year," he said. 

Oversight function 

For his part, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said the quinta-comm will exercise the lower chamber's oversight power and look into reports of smuggling, hoarding, price manipulation, and other practices in restraint of trade. 

He said that this new joint panel would also check on the enforcement of the recently signed Republic Act (RA) No. 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act. 

The law aims to make food items more affordable and make life better for farmers, the Speaker said.