Press Release
October 1, 2020

Hontiveros: Review benefit of Rice Tariff Law to PH farmers amid plunging local rice prices

"Kailangang i-review ang Rice Tariffication Law para makita kung talaga bang nakakatulong ito sa ating mga magsasaka lalo pa't maraming lumalabas na problema sa implementasyon ng batas na ito."

This was the statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros as she calls for a comprehensive review of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) after an alarming drop in prices of locally-produced palay. "Nakakaalarma at nakakalungkot na ang mga magsasaka na siyang nagsisikap para may kainin ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino ay siyang nanganganib magutom at maghirap dahil sa pagkalugi sa presyo ng palay." she added.

The Senator said the that even prior to the pandemic, farmers were already suffering from the loss of income due to falling palay prices as a result of the implementation of RTL. This is the reason why in 2019, she pushed for two Senate resolutions to shed light on how government can better help rice farmers.

"Bago pa ang pandemiya, marami nang problema ang hinaharap ng mga magsasaka sa bansa. I have filed Proposed Senate Resolution (PSR) 70, which sought a review of the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) and its effects, and PSR 152 which sought to explore 'emergency measures' to aid farmers severely affected by the sudden drop in prices of palay," she noted.

Hontiveros then urged the relevant government agencies to secure the country against the influx of alleged undervalued or smuggled rice stocks, which according to her can be 'major contributors to the further drops in rice prices'. "Dapat mas maghigpit pa ang Department of Agriculture at Bureau of Customs para hindi basta-basta nakakapasok ang mga smuggled na bigas na pwedeng mas magpabaon pa sa ating mga magsasaka," she said.

Likewise, Hontiveros stated that the President should also exercise his power to increase tariffs to discourage overimportation of cheap rice. These measures will prevent any further drops in rice prices, and help local rice producers and traders keep afloat during the pandemic.

Furthermore, the senator said that the government must urgently extend help to the farmers and their families, many of whom have seen little to no income in the past months. She furthered that this could be achieved by the swift implementation of the rice competitiveness enhancement fund (RCEF) and ensuring that the multi-billion rice tariff collections from importers are translated to direct assistance to farmers.

"Ngayong may krisis, siguraduhin nating ang nakolektang taripa mula sa importers ay napupunta bilang ayuda sa ating mga magsasaka para mabawi kung ano man ang kanilang lugi. Dapat ding namomomonitor ang implementasyon ng RCEF kung saan mas nakikinabang dapat ang mga magsasaka," she said.

"Huwag nating kalimutan at pabayaan ang mga magsasakang nagbabanat ng buto para mapakain ang milyon-milyong Pilipino," she concluded.

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