House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker’s office)

Ensure the affordability of rice for Fillipinos. 

This was House Speaker Martin Romualdez's challenge Friday, Feb. 28, to candidates vying for public posts in upcoming May 12 mid-term elections. 

Following his pronouncement last week that controlling the cost of essential goods is paramount, the leader of the 306-strong House of Representatives, said the price of rice should be the primary focus of this effort. 

“Alam natin na ang bawat butil ng bigas ay mahalaga sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino. Nakikita natin ang mga positibong hakbang ng gobyerno, pero hindi pa tayo dapat makampante," said Romualdez, also known as "Mr. Rice". 

(We know that each grain of rice is important to each Filipino family. We can see the positive steps being taken by the government, but we shouldn’t be complacent.) 

"Marami pa tayong kailangang gawin para matiyak na abot-kaya ang presyo ng bigas para sa lahat (We still have a lot to do in ensuring that rice prices are affordable to all)," added Leyte's 1st district congressman and Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president. 

Romualdez cited in particular the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) declaration of a food security emergency, and allowing the release of the National Food Authority’s (NFA) rice buffer stocks to stabilize retail prices and ensure consumer accessibility. 

Additionally, the DA has set a maximum suggested retail price (SRP) of P49 per kilo for imported rice starting in March, while NFA rice is being made available at P35 per kilo to support low-income consumers. 

These measures aim to address the “extraordinary” hike in local rice prices, which have persisted despite reductions in global market costs and import tariffs. 

The Speaker urged his fellow lawmakers and electoral candidates to engage directly with their constituents to assess the real-world impact of these policies. He emphasized the importance of on-ground verification to ensure that benefits of national policies are felt at the grassroots level. 

“Hindi sapat ang mga numero at ulat lamang. Kailangan nating bumaba sa ating mga distrito, makipag-usap sa mga magsasaka, tindera, at mamimili. Dapat nating itanong: May bigas pa bang naisasaing ang ating mga kababayan? Paano natin mapapababa ang presyo nang hindi nalulugi ang ating mga magsasaka?” he added. 

(We must not rely on reports and figures alone. We must descend and speak with the farmers, vendors, and consumers in our districts. We must ask: Do our countrymen still have rice to cook? How can we reduce its prices without adversely affecting our farmers?)