EDITORIAL
During a media interview by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, he said he would certify as urgent the proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to lower rice prices in the country.
“Yes, I think it justifies the urgent certification,” the President said when asked if he supports the proposal.
“Ang problema kasi kaya tumataas ang presyo ng bigas dahil ang mga trader ay nagko-compete. Pataasan sila ng presyuhan sa pagbili ng [bigas] at wala tayong control doon,” he pointed out.
According to the President, the government can influence or control rice prices if amendments to the rice tariffication law are introduced, particularly in buying palay and selling rice to the public.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez has been pushing for the RTL amendment to allow the National Food Authority (NFA) to sell rice in the markets.
He said rice prices could go down by P10 to P15 or close to the P30 per kilogram mark if RTL is amended, noting it’s the President’s priority to stabilize rice prices.
Envisioned to bring down rice prices, the RTL allows unlimited entry of imported rice in the country. It prohibits the NFA, however, from buying and selling rice and limits the agency’s mandate to managing buffer rice stocks.
Critics of the RTL such as former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol fought tooth and nail and campaigned against this law, which they called “flawed” but the past administration passed it just the same.
Now, Piñol is praising President Marcos for his urgent move to correct a “flawed legislation” that enabled “rice cartel or mafias” to control market prices. He expressed support for the urgent amendment of RTL, saying the NFA may sell rice at around P40 per kilogram to P45/kg.
Piñol said that at this range, although higher than the original P27/kg, the subsidized price is much lower than the current offer of private traders who typically double the market price.
Piñol is correct in pointing out that it is the moral obligation of government to provide an option for the poor consumers who need to buy cheap and affordable rice, the staple food of all Filipinos.
We need to bring back to the government the supervision of the rice industry. We cannot allow the basic grains of Filipinos to be controlled by the rice cartel.
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