Agricultural Tariffication bill gets closer to becoming a law

Sen. Cynthia Villar  —Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed bill seeking to amend the Agricultural Tariffication Act got a step closer to becoming law on Wednesday when both chambers of Congress ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the measure’s corresponding Senate and House of Representatives versions.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, at the Senate’s plenary session, gave the highlights of the bicameral conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 2779 and House Bill No. 10381 or the proposed act amending the Agricultural Tariffication Law and extending the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

READ: Future of rice tariff law up for Senate plenary debate

“I am pleased to report on the successful outcome of the bicameral conference. The bicameral conference agreed to use the Senate version as the working draft of the discussion. The changes in the working draft, which we stated in the joint explanatory statement reflected on the content of the bicameral consolidated bill,” said Villar.

She then moved for the approval and ratification of the report, which was immediately seconded by Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito.

At the lower chamber, the bicam report was also approved and ratified, which means that it will soon be submitted to the Palace for the signature of President Marcos.

The measure specifically seeks to empower the agriculture chief to respond to a declaration of rice food shortage and extraordinary increases in rice prices, where the agency can sell through government agencies and replenish its stocks through the procurement of locally produced rice from farmers and farmers’ cooperatives.

The new bill proposes to allow the Department of Agriculture to import when there is no available locally produced rice and to designate an importing authority, except the National Food Authority.