CABANATUAN CITY – A Nueva Ecija legislator has maintained that the Rice Tariffication Law is a well-crafted measure to uplift the life of Filipino farmers and make them at par with their counterparts in Vietnam and Thailand.
Rep. Rosanna Vergara, who along with three other congresswomen of Nueva Ecija voted in favor of the law which was among President Duterte’s priority measures, said she herself opened up to Rep. Arthur Yap, a former secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo here initial reservations during the deliberation.
“Sinabi ko sa kanila ang aking mga agam-agam, anong mangyayari sa mga magsasaka, sa mga rice farmers, primarily sa Cabanatuan…sa Nueva Ecija. At ang sabi nila sa akin, ang objective nito ay hindi ang patayin ang mga magsasaka kundi tulungan sila,” Vergara told the newsmen during a recent media forum with the Nueva Ecija Press Club, Inc (NEPCI).
“At paano sila tutulungan? Sa buwis na makukuha sa imported rice gagamitin ito para tulungan silang magkaroon ng hybrid seeds, magkaroon ng farm mechanization,” she said, saying this was actually an unprecedented step towards helping rice farmers as the “measly” P49-billion budget of the DA will be up by P10 billion
She also noted that the government has already allocated the P10 billion this year even before the tariffication is imposed.
The lady solon stressed that the noble objective to help farmers was the one that made her support the law amid controversies surrounding it.
“Yung P10 bilyon na yan para lang sa rice farmers, para tulungan silang maibaba yung presyo nung palay nila para pag pumasok yung murang palay ay competitive na sila,” she noted, referring to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
“Sana. hintayin ng mga farmers na huwag silang padala sa mga gustong magbigay ng maling impormasyon,” she added.
The law, Republic Act 11203, was made after the quantitative restrictions that was provided under the World Trade Organization (WTO) lapsed in 2017.
Under this law, the government imposes 35 percent tariff for rice imported from ASEAN countries and 50 percent for those coming from non-ASEAN. The taxes, estimated at P10 billion, will be used as RCEF wherein P5 billion will go to mechanization to be implemented by the PhilMec, P3 billion for the production of quality seeds, P1 billion for loan facilities and P1 billion for farmers’ trainings.
