SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Friday urged candidates in the 2025 midterm elections to prioritize rice affordability, stressing that while recent government measures have yielded positive results, sustained efforts are necessary to achieve long-term solutions.
Following his pronouncement last week that controlling the cost of essential goods is paramount, the leader of the 306-strong House of Representatives, said the price of rice should be the primary focus of this effort.
Speaker Romualdez acknowledged the government’s proactive steps, including the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) declaration of a food security emergency, allowing release of National Food Authority’s (NFA) rice buffer stocks to stabilize retail prices and ensure consumer accessibility.
Additionally, the DA has set a maximum suggested retail price (SRP) of Php49 per kilo for imported rice starting in March, while NFA rice is being made available at Php35 per kilo to support low-income consumers.
These measures aim to address the “extraordinary” rise in local rice prices, which have persisted despite reductions in global market costs and import tariffs.
“Alam natin na ang bawat butil ng bigas ay mahalaga sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino. Nakikita natin ang mga positibong hakbang ng gobyerno, pero hindi pa tayo dapat makampante. Marami pa tayong kailangang gawin para matiyak na abot-kaya ang presyo ng bigas para sa lahat,” Speaker Romualdez stated.
The Speaker urged his fellow lawmakers and electoral candidates to engage directly with their constituents to assess the real-world impact of these policies, emphasizing the importance of on-ground verification to ensure that benefits of national policies are felt at the grassroots level.
“Hindi sapat ang mga numero at ulat lamang. Kailangan nating bumaba sa ating mga distrito, makipag-usap sa mga magsasaka, tindera, at mamimili. Dapat nating itanong: May bigas pa bang naisasaing ang ating mga kababayan? Paano natin mapapababa ang presyo nang hindi nalulugi ang ating mga magsasaka?” he added.
The House leader also highlighted the role of the Quinta Comm, known as the Murang Pagkain Supercommittee, in monitoring the implementation of the food security emergency and ensuring that measures effectively address the root causes of high rice prices.
He stressed the need for transparency and accountability in distributing rice stocks and utilizing funds allocated for this purpose.
“Kasangga ng Murang Pagkain Supercommittee ang lahat ng ahensya ng gobyernong nakatutok sa presyo ng bigas para siguruhing walang abuso, episyente ang pagpapatupad ng mga polisiya, at mabilis ang aksyon,” Speaker Romualdez emphasized.
While acknowledging the necessity of importing rice to address immediate supply gaps, Speaker Romualdez underscored the importance of bolstering local rice production to achieve long-term self-sufficiency.
The House Speaker noted that the recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicated that the average farmgate price of dry palay was Php20.69 per kilo in January 2025, a slight decrease from December’s Php 20.70. However, this represents a 17.69 percent increase compared to the Php17.58 per kilo average in June 2022, the final month of the previous administration.
“Batay sa mga pigurang ito, nakikita natin ang resulta ng balanseng pagtugon ng gobyerno – napapababa ang presyo ng bigas sa merkado, pero nasisigurong hindi nalulugi ang mga magsasaka. May nagagawang tama na kailangang ipagpatuloy,” Speaker Romualdez stressed.
“Importante na may agarang solusyon, pero hindi natin pwedeng gawing habambuhay na sagot ang pag-angkat ng bigas. Kailangan nating tiyakin na habang pinapababa natin ang presyo para sa konsyumer, pinapalakas din natin ang produksyon ng lokal na palay. Hindi pwedeng isa lang ang makinabang—dapat sabay-sabay tayong umaangat,” he added.
Speaker Romualdez also noted that government investments, such as those from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), have begun to yield positive outcomes.
However, he emphasized that providing machinery and financial support must be complemented with comprehensive training and assured market access for farmers.
“Ang pagbibigay ng makinarya at pondo ay simula pa lamang. Kailangan nating tiyakin na ang ating mga magsasaka ay may sapat na kaalaman at suporta upang magamit nang husto ang mga makabagong teknolohiyang ito. Dapat din nating siguraduhin na may merkado para sa kanilang ani upang hindi masayang ang kanilang pagsisikap,” he said.
“Malinaw ang ating misyon: hindi natin hahayaang bumagsak ang kita ng ating mga magsasaka, at hindi rin natin hahayaang magutom ang ating mamamayan. Kailangan natin ng balanseng diskarte, matibay na batas, at tunay na malasakit sa bawat Pilipino. Hindi ito madali, pero kung magtutulungan tayo, walang dahilan para hindi natin ito magawa,” he concluded.
