Marcos admin studying proposed amendments to Rice Tariffication Law

The Marcos administration is studying proposals to amend the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which aimed to liberalize rice importation. 

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. mentioned the ongoing study to amend the RTL, as well as his readiness to certify as urgent the proposed Agriculture Cooperatives Act of 2025, during a meeting with key government officials on Tuesday.

Enacted in 2019, the RTL empowers the President to halt imports under specific conditions. 

Before the RTL took effect and its amended version this year, the National Food Authority (NFA) could import rice to augment supply, allowing it to maintain a healthier buffer stock and intervene when prices surged.

In August 2025, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. called for amending the RTL, warning that it “threatens to kill” the country's rice industry. 

Tiu Laurel had underscored that the government must revisit, amend, and possibly replace laws that “no longer serve [the] farmers and consumers.”

Meanwhile, the proposed Agriculture Cooperatives Act of 2025 seeks to strengthen agricultural cooperatives as key partners for national food security and rural development.

Introduced by Senator Francis Pangilinan, Senate Bill 1183 aims to provide funding and resources to boost the productivity and sustainability of agricultural cooperatives.

This will also encourage clustering and consolidation to achieve economies of scale, and improve competitiveness of agricultural cooperatives.

The Presidential Communications Office said yesterday's meeting was attended by the President, Tiu Laurel, Pangilinan, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. —VAL, GMA Integrated News