Ilang mambabatas, suportado ang proposal ng DOF na bawasan o alisin ang taripa sa imported rice

Transcript

00:00 The government gave recommendations to the government to maintain the low price of rice in the country.

00:06 Congressmen also favor the suggestion of the Department of Finance regarding the rice tariff

00:12 or the tax imposed on imported rice.

00:15 Mela Lesmora is in the report. Rise and shine, Mela.

00:21 The economist lawmaker, Marikina Representative Stella Kimbo, supported the Department of Finance's proposal to temporarily reduce

00:30 or remove the rice import tariff or tax imposed on imported rice in the country.

00:36 For the DOF, this will help to lower the price of rice in the market.

00:41 The House Committee on Waste and Means Chair Joey Salceda, who is also an economist, also agreed.

00:49 We will reduce the price of rice, especially now that we have already met our rice tariff targets.

00:55 Our target every year is 10 billion because we are using our rice tariff revenues to return to our farmers.

01:03 For now, the price cap on rice that was ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marquez Jr. is declining, but this is only temporary.

01:11 For a long-term solution and to lower the price of rice in the country, some recommendations were also adopted by lawmakers.

01:21 Under House Bill No. 9030 of Philippine Rice Emergency Response Bill of Congresswoman Kimbo,

01:28 she is pushing for the President to declare a State of National Rice Emergency if necessary,

01:35 and all stakeholders, not just rice retailers, can be given assistance.

01:41 We gave powers to the executive to get the remaining funds from various programs to give subsidies to consumers.

01:54 That's number one. Because now, our countrymen are poor and the price of rice is very expensive.

01:59 So consumers will be given subsidies. Number two, farmers, because they will be affected by our additional importation.

02:07 And number three, our traders/retailers can also be given subsidies.

02:14 House Committee on Appropriations Chair Elizalde Co. is pushing for the contract growing mechanism.

02:20 Under this, the government will hire farmers before the rice harvest,

02:25 where 50% of their total harvest will be bought by the government while the remaining can be sold to other farmers.

02:34 According to Congressman Com, this is a win-win situation because farmers will have a certain income and the government will not cut them.

02:43 Rice is important to the lives of Filipinos.

02:47 That's why lawmakers are insisting that they are fully addressing the issues that are related to this.

02:54 Melales Moras, Parasabayan.