AT the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) hearing, FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist Rep. Brian Poe sought clarity from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on the status of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), underscoring its critical role in helping farmers in Pangasinan cope with rising rice prices and recurring climate shocks.
“I want to know the status of this fund and whether it’s been increased in the NEP as compared to the previous years. This is of course for our constituents who are farmers in Pangasinan,” Rep. Poe said during the hearing.
The DBM confirmed that funding for RCEF will expand under the amended law beginning next year.
“We will implement the first year implementation of the law. I think there’s an amendment to the previous RCEF law. There will be an increase in the RCEF with the following breakdown: a total of ₱30 billion pesos – ₱9 billion for rice farm machineries and equipment, ₱6 billion for rice seed development, propagation, and promotion, and the balance of ₱15 billion will go to other priority programs, activities, and projects,” the DBM said.
Rep. Poe emphasized that effective implementation of the fund is essential as Filipino farmers continue to battle rising production costs, stronger typhoons, and the widening gap between farmgate and retail rice prices.
He noted that agriculture is the lifeblood of Pangasinan and other provinces, yet farmers bear the brunt of high input costs, unpredictable climate risks, and market dynamics that often disadvantage them.
He further stressed that the RCEF should not remain as mere figures in the budget but must translate into tangible support that farmers can directly access. Ensuring food security and protecting farmer welfare, he said, should remain at the core of national priorities.
As a first-term lawmaker, Rep. Poe has consistently pushed for agricultural modernization and mechanization programs to reach smallholder farmers, particularly in rice-producing provinces such as Pangasinan, one of the country’s leading contributors to the national rice supply.
