Malacañang said the Marcos administration will push the amendment of the Republic Act (RA) No. 12078, or the amended Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), in the upcoming 20th Congress to restore the power of National Food Authority (NFA) to procure and sell rice despite the alleged efforts in the Senate to “block” it.
In a press briefing last Monday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Marcos administration has been urging lawmakers to bring back the power of NFA so it can help control the price of rice.
“Actually, the administration has had a proposal for a long time to give the NFA sufficient power,” she said in Filipino when asked if government economic managers already have a proposed bill for the said reform.
“We want to inform [the public] that if NFA is given the right to sell directly to the people and control the price of rice, the price of rice will not increase like this,” she said.
In its latest price monitoring report on markets in Metro Manila, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the price of local regular milled rice as of 15 April 2025 ranged from P32 to 48 per kilogram (kg), while for well-milled it was at P38 to P54 per kg.
This was lower compared to the price for regular milled rice in the same period last month, which was between P33 to P49 per kg. Well-milled rice was sold between P42 to P52 per kg at that time.
Castro claimed their efforts to amend RA 12078 are being “blocked” by Senator Cynthia A. Villar, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.
“That’s why the administration has been asking for power, for amendments to be made to the RTL regarding the rights, authority, and power of the NFA, but this was blocked by Senator Cynthia Villar. So you should do your research on how importers benefit, and find out who has the power to import rice,” Castro said.
Last May, President Ferdinand Marcos said he wants NFA to compete with local rice traders and retailers by restoring its power to buy, sell and import rice.
Under RA No. 11203 or the RTL, NFA was stripped with the said powers and it was restricted to buying rice from local farmers for buffer stocking.
NFA was allowed to sell existing rice buffer stock in areas where there is a rice supply shortage or an extraordinary increase in rice prices under RA 12078, which amended RA 11203.
Among the reasons, which were cited for the removal of the powers of NFA was the alleged corruption within the said agency.
Castro said lawmakers should have considered purging the unscrupulous officials and personnel of NFA and not remove its powers.
“If there is a problem in the NFA, with those who run it, the ones who should be removed are those NFA [officials] whose credibility and integrity are in doubt; not the power of the NFA,” she said.
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