Villar is optimistic President Duterte will sign into law the Cash Assistance to Filipino Farmers

CITING the urgency of helping our farmers due to the crippling effects of the Covid pandemic, Senator Cynthia Villar remains confident President Rodrigo Duterte would sign into law the Cash Assistance to Filipino Rice Farmers Act of 2020 that would benefit over 1.673 million small rice farmers.

Villar, chairperson of the Senate agriculture and food committee, said the Cash Assistance for Filipino Rice Farmers Act of 2020 proposes that any amount in excess of the P10 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) collection by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) shall automatically be given as cash assistance to rice farmers who are tilling two (2) hectares or less of rice land which is estimated at 1.673 million as listed in the Registry System of Basic Sectors (RSBSA).

Villar noted that the country's rice farmers are continuously facing the many challenges brought about by theliberalization of rice importation in 2019, the series of destructive typhoons that hit their farms and the Covid 19 pandemic.

"So I strongly believe that our farmers need more support and assistance to cope up with the several challenges, especially now that we are in a pandemic, and their health is also at risk," related the lady senator.

Towards this end, she said the State shall provide monetary assistance to the hardest hit segments of our small farmers in the form of actual giving of cash to them.

"Any amount we give to our farmers will be a big help to augment their income and improve their poor living condition," said Villar.

According to Villar, excess collection in 2019 amounting to P2.135 billion and the P5.408 billion in 2020 were already allocated as cash assistance to our rice farmers under the General Appropriations Act of 2021.

In their September report, she said the Bureau of Customs said it has recorded a collection from rice importation amounting to P11.69 billion in tariffs from the 1.74 million metric tons (MT) of rice imports from January to August this year.

Villar also said they opted to adopt the House version of the Cash Assistance for Filipino Farmers Act under HB 9950 which mandates the beneficiaries are rice farmers owning 2 hectares of rice land and below.

According to Villar, the House version follows the provision under the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) that covers rice farmers owning 2 hectares of land and below.

RA 11203 or RTL, seeks to improve the Filipino rice farmers' competitiveness and income in the wake of the local rice trade policy's liberalization.

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Villar, umaasa na lalagdaan para maisabatas ni Pangulong Duterte ang Cash Assistance to Filipino Farmers

DAHIL sa kailangang agarang tulong sa ating mga magsasaka sanhi ng bumababang presyo ng palay at masamang epekto ng pandemiya, kumpiyansa si Senator Cynthia Villar na lalagdaan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang pagsasabatas ng Cash Assistance to Filipino Farmers Act of 2020 kung saan mabibiyayaan ang mahigit 1.6 milyong maliliit na rice farmers.

Sinabi ni Villar, chairperson ng Senate agriculture and food committee, na inirerekomenda sa Cash Assistance for Filipino Farmers Act of 2020 na ibigay bilang cash na tulong sa rice farmers ang anumang sobra sa P10 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) collection ng Bureau of Customs (BOC). Mabibigyan ng tulong ang mga magsasaka na may isang ektarya pababa ng rice land na tinatayang 1.37 miyon sa talaan ng Registry System of Basic Sectors (RSBSA).

Ayon kay Villar, patuloy na nahaharap ang mga magsaasaka sa maraming pagsubok sanhi ng liberalization ng rice importation noong 2019, mga bagyo na sumira sa kanilang sinasaka at ang Covid 19 pandemic.

"So I strongly believe that our farmers need more support and assistance to cope up with the several challenges, especially now that we are in a pandemic, and their health is also at risk," ayon sa senadora.

Dahil dito, kailangang magbigay ang estado ng pinansiyal na tulong sa mga magsasaka

"Any amount we give to our farmers will be a big help to augment their measly income and improve their poor living condition," ani Villar.

ipinahayag ni Villar na sa ilalim ng General Appropriations Act of 2021, ibinigay na cash assistance sa rice farmers ang sobrang koleksyon na P2.135 billion noong 2019 at P5.408 billion noong 2020.

Sa kanilang September report, sinabi ng Bureau of Customs na kumita sila sa rice importation ng P11.69 billion sa taripa mula sa 1.74 million metric tons (MT) ng rice imports simula January hanggang August ng taong ito.

"We opted to adopt the House version of the Cash Assistance for Filipino Farmers Act under HB 9950 which mandates the beneficiaries are rice farmers owning 2 hectares of rice land and below," sabi pa ni Villar.

"Under the House version , "we are looking to benefit an additional 355,456 rice farmers, or a total of 1,673,266 rice farmers with at P4,500 cash assistance," giit pa ni Villar.

Ayon kay Villar, ang House version ay base sa provision ng Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) na sumasakop sa rice farmers na may 2 hectares na lupa pababa.

Layunin ng RA 11203 or RTL na maiangat ang competitiveness at kita ng ating rice farmers sa kabila ng local rice trade policy's liberalization.

Itinatakda nito na dapat bigyan ng Rice Farmer Financial Assistance ang rice farmers na may 2 hectares pababa "whether they continue farming or not. "