President Marcos to Congress: Pass amendments to RTL

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos renewed his call to Congress yesterday to pass an amendment to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) that seeks to restore the price stabilization and supply regulation functions of the National Food Authority (NFA).

“The latest thing we’re doing is amending the RTL, the Rice Tariffication Law. We did this so that we could control the price of rice because the price of rice increased too fast,” Marcos said in an interview in Koronadal City when asked about the government’s support for farmers.

“So if our Congress gives us permission to import, we will go along... This is actually the first – why the NFA was created,” he added.

The House recently approved on final reading the measure seeking amendments to the RTL.

The House version of the bill allows the NFA to, in the following order, purchase local milled rice; purchase up to a maximum of 30 percent brought in by accredited importers at cost and, as a final recourse, once all domestic sources have been exhausted, directly import rice, subject to explicit authorization from the agriculture secretary, if the buffer stock requirement is still not sufficient.

The RTL amendment is also expected to bring down the price of rice by P10 to P15 per kilogram.

Marcos earlier said he would certify the bill as urgent to bring down rice prices, which currently stand at P50 to P60 per kilo.

The RTL, enacted in 2019, allows unlimited entry of imported rice to the country in a bid to keep prices low due to larger supply.

It also bans the NFA from buying and selling rice.

“The NFA was established to stabilize the price (of rice),” Marcos pointed out.

Meanwhile, the NFA in Bulacan clarified that it is still buying palay at the government-supported price of P30 per kilo amid radio reports on Thursday that it has ceased its palay procurement program.

Rhona Talens, officer-in-charge of NFA Bulacan, told The STAR in a text message that “palay procurement operation in NFA Bulacan is ongoing in San Ildefonso warehouse.”

A farmer leader from San Miguel town, Simeon Sioson, confirmed to The STAR that he erroneously reported in a radio interview that the NFA Bulacan has stopped buying palay in the province.

Land title distribution

Despite bad weather, Marcos pushed through with the distribution of land titles to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Mindanao yesterday.

Marcos distributed more than 4,900 land titles and extended assistance to farmers of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay at the Zamboanga del Norte Convention Center in Dipolog City.

Of the figure, 1,211 land titles were given to Zamboanga Sibugay, 2,211 to Zamboanga del Norte, and 1,534 to Zamboanga del Sur.

The President also turned over more than P15 million worth of farming tools and equipment to increase production and ease the work of 15,773 ARBs.

Earlier in the day, he led the distribution of more than 4,000 electronic titles and certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) to ARBs in Region 12 in Koronadal City.

A total of 3,167 e-titles and 1,184 CLOAs were distributed to 4,271 ARBs in South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat.

Marcos said he would not stop until all land titles are distributed to ARBs. — Ramon Efren Lazaro