House Committee on Agriculture chairman and ANAC-IP Rep. Jose Panganiban, Jr. expressed confidence on Monday that Congress will act quickly on the rice tariffication bill.
President Rodrigo Duterte had certified its passage as urgent Wednesday last week.
When certified as urgent, a bill need not undergo the three-day rule between the second and third reading as approval on both levels are done within the same day.
“We need the rice tariffication law to help reduce the price of rice for up to P7 per kilo,” said the legislator.”
“Sayang lang at inabot na ng session break. But I’m confident that as soon as we resume, the Senate will pass its version, then we can proceed on resolving the conflicts in both the House and Senate versions during the bicameral conference committee,” Panganiban said.
Panganiban said one of the key provisions that is likely to be discussed is whether or not the National Food Authority (NFA) would retain its monopoly on rice importation.
Under the version passed by the House of Representatives, the NFA would keep its authority as sole importer of rice for purposes of buffer stocking. The Senate, meanwhile, has yet to decide on it.
“Hopefully, we can pass the bill by November so that we can implement it by 2019.”
Panganiban reiterated the need to pass the rice tariffication bill to improve the availability of rice in the country and help ease inflation.
“We need the rice tariffication law to help reduce the price of rice for up to P7 per kilo,” said the legislator.
“Hopefully, we can pass the bill by November so that we can implement it by 2019,” Panganiban added.
