Duterte certifies rice tariffication bill as urgent

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday certified as urgent the rice tariffication bill.

In a letter addressed to Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Duterte said there is a need “to address the urgent need to improve availability of rice in the country, to prevent artificial rice shortage, reduce the prices of rice in the market, and curtail the prevalence of corruption and cartel domination in the rice industry.”

The House of Representatives passed the bill on the third and final reading in August while the Senate is still on its first reading. /je