FILE PHOTO: Red onions. INQUIRER FILES/Bureau of Customs
To deal with recent spikes in the price of onions, three experienced legislators are seeking the creation of a tariff-sourced Onion Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (OCEF), similar to the controversial Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) that Congress enacted under the rice tariffication law.
House committee on agriculture and food chair Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga; committee on appropriations chair Elizaldy Co; and Rep. Stella Quimbo, appropriations panel senior vice chairperson, filed House Bill No. 8462 creating the OCEF.
In a joint statement, the three lawmakers said the bill stemmed from their findings in marathon hearings held from February 8 to May 17. It was not clear, however, how the OCEF will be different from the RCEF under the rice tariffication law which Quimbo herself referred to as “visionary” but failed to meet its targets. —JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE
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