House session on March 21, 2023 (INQUIRER file photo / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will do everything to pass the proposed amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) before it goes on a sine die adjournment, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Monday.
Romualdez hopes the Senate will also prioritize the passage of the bill to amend the RTL — especially since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vowed to certify the bill as urgent.
The speaker made the statement in a video clip sent by his office after he met with Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
“What is needed here is proper coordination. That’s why the Secretary said we are in full coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and our agri team,” he said.
“That’s why for proposed bills like the RTL, which contains the critical amendments […], we would do everything to finish this before the sine die, especially once our beloved President certifies this bill as urgent,” he noted.
READ: Romualdez: Marcos may certify rice tariff law amendments as urgent
“We also urge our friends in the Senate to take the lead in the Senate to pass the similar amendments so that we can finalize this initiative, this good program early, and we are lucky to be fully-coordinated, in-sync with the President’s program, with his agri team,” he added.
The House is in session until May 24, 2024 and will go into a sine die adjournment from May 25 to July 21.
The third regular session of the 19th Congress will open on July 22, coinciding with President Marcos’ third State of the Nation Address.
Previously, Romualdez said the bill may be certified by Marcos as urgent as the changes are meant to be able to address the high price of rice.
Earlier, the President promised to make the certification.
READ: Marcos to certify rice tariff law amendments as urgent
According to Romualdez, rice prices can drop by P10 to P15 if the Rice Tariffication Law is amended by June, and the staple will be around the P35 to P40 per kilogram mark.
READ: Romualdez: Rice prices down P15 if rice tariff law amended by June
He also thinks rice prices can even go below P30 per kilogram by July 2024, with the DA trying to identify which areas would receive cheaper rice.
As of now, the House Committee on Agriculture and Food is conducting hearings to discuss the amendments to the law.