By Zaldy De Layola MANILA – Speaker Martin Romualdez and other House leaders on Wednesday lauded the decision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to cut the tariff for imported rice from 35 percent to just 15 percent.
“The import levy reduction and the direct sale of imported rice by the government through its Kadiwa centers should bring down the retail price of rice substantially, especially for consumers,” Romualdez said in a news release. He said the effort to reduce rice prices is consistent with the Marcos administration’s goal of making the staple available and affordable. Romualdez said rice farmers should not worry about the assistance they receive from the government, which is funded by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund set up under Republic Act No.
11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law. He added that official data showed that as of last month, the fund had accumulated PHP16 billion from import tariff collections. “This means that the government has enough funds to help farmers, while it is trying to bring down rice prices through the import tariff cut and direct Kadiwa sales,” he said.
He said the House’s advocacy of returning the rice importation mandate of the National Food Authority is also meant to make the staple affordable. Other House leaders who supported the rice tariff cut include House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun, Deputy Majority Leader and PBA Party-list Rep.
Margarita “Atty. Migs” Nogra.
