(MANILA BULLETIN)

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte remains hopeful that the proposed amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) would become a top concern for the Senate amid the rising costs of rice.

This, after House Speaker Martin Romualdez bared that the Senate and the House of Representatives were close to reaching an agreement on the proposed overhaul of the RTL, as embodied in Republic Act (RA) No. 11203.

In a chance interview with reporters, Romualdez said that reforming the five-year-old law was a “focal point” in his meeting with Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

Villafuerte, a lead proponent of the House-approved version of the RTL amendments, says he is hoping that senators will make it a priority to pass their counterpart version once Congress resumes sessions on July 22.

“We are hopeful that the proposed law on the timely overhaul of the five-year RTL will indeed be among the top concerns of our senators as a way to cut rice prices by as much as half to P30 a kilo or below from the current market range of P50 to P65,” he said in a statement Sunday, June 23.

Senator Cynthia Villar chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform that is tackling this proposal.

Following President Marcos' order to reduce rice import tariff which is expected to slash the retail cost of rice, Villafuerte says the proposed amendments will lower the market prices even further.

“With rice accounting for a sizeable share of the food expenses of Filipinos, most especially of poor or low-income families, writing a law to amend RA 11203 by restoring certain regulatory and trading powers of the NFA (National Food Authority) to intervene in the market and make the staple more affordable and accessible for our consumers is one way for us lawmakers to help take the edge off sticky inflation,” the lawmaker explained.

However, several senators—including Villar herself—have opposed this proposal to restore the NFA’s power to import rice during emergency situations.

According to Villar, the sitting president must have this special power and not the NFA.

Meanwhile, Villafuerte pointed out that this proposed power shall only happen as a “last resort” of the government to address food security emergencies.

He said the oversight functions of Congress will enable legislators to keep track of the implementation of the would-be law to deter the NFA from possibly abusing its trading tasks, as what had happened in the past when it was still empowered to intervene in the market.

Under the House-approved House Bill (HB) No. 10381, Villafuerte said the NFA should be allowed to buy palay from local farmers or import the staple, but only with the approval of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary.

As pointed out by Speaker Romualdez, the proposed RTL amendments is expected to lower rice prices to P30 a kilo or below. Current rice prices range from P50 to P65 a kilo.