DA seeking Comelec exemption of LGUs’ sale of NFA rice

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is requesting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to exempt from the May 2025 midterm elections spending ban the sale of National Food Authority’s (NFA) rice stocks by local government units (LGUs).

“We are [actually] releasing a letter to the Comelec to officially inform them that we have a program like this,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a mix of Filipino and English, during the ceremonial release of the NFA rice stocks in Valenzuela City.

So far, 67 LGUs have signified intent to buy NFA rice which it will then sell to the public or to their respective local constituents.

With this, the Agriculture chief said “we are asking help from them [Comelec] to give exemption to LGUs applying for this program.”

Under Comelec Resolution 11060, a certificate of exemption is needed to implement activities and programs on social welfare projects and services while the public spending ban is in effect from March 28 to May 11, 2025.

The poll body, in January, announced the exemption of several social programs from the spending ban, which included the controversial Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).

The release of NFA rice stocks was triggered by the declaration of food security emergency last February 3, following the recommendation of the National Price Coordinating Council,

The declaration will allow the NFA to sell its buffer stocks to the public to tame the retail prices of the grain.

The stocks will be released through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), and will then be sold to the public at a price of P35 per kilo, among the cheapest available, as the government seeks to lower prices of rice to levels seen prior to the spike recorded in June and July 2023.

Under the DA’s Circular No. 4, a total of 625,600 bags of NFA rice stocks were set aside for distribution due to the food security emergency declaration.

The breakdown of allocation is as follows:

• Region IV - 47,000 bags
• Region V - 38,600
• Region VI - 58,000
• Region VII - 50,000
• Region VIII - 18,000
• Region IX - 21,000
• Region X - 20,000
• Region XI - 19,000
• Region XII - 36,000
• National Capital Region (including Cavite and Rizal) - 293,000
• BARMM - 5,000
• CARAGA - 20,000

The DA also warned rice sellers against selling NFA rice beyond P35 per kilo.

Artificial?

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said the prevailing high rice prices are artificial.

“Yung presyo ng bigas sa merkado, parang artificially high din siya. Bakit ko nasasabi ‘yun? Maraming mga pinamimigay na bigas eh. Pinamimigay ang mga bigas. Tingnan niyo ‘yung mga politiko. Anong mga pinamimigay nila? Bigas! Ibig sabihin nun, marami siguro supply ng bigas,” Pimentel said during the Kapihan forum.

(I observed that the market prices of rice are artificially high. Why? A lot of people are giving out rice. Rice is being given a lot these days. Look at the politicians. What do they give away? Rice! It means, maybe there is a lot of rice supply.)

“But how come the market prices are still high? Dapat ‘yan, pababa [ang presyo]. I hope that the DA will take a look [at this],” Pimentel added, referring to the Department of Agriculture.

Pimentel did not say that a rice cartel is behind these supposed artificial high prices of rice but said what is happening is unnatural.

“There's something wrong. Dapat siya, naturally, kung talagang free market forces yan, dapat siya bumaba,” Pimentel said.

(If we look at market forces, prices should be going down.)

Still, Pimentel backed the administration’s move to release the NFA rice stocks to LGUs to bring down rice prices.

“We are doing that to help the people [in buying affordable rice], and when we free the NFA warehouse...the government gave a budget for the NFA to buy new stock from Filipino farmers, so, ultimately, the policy benefits both the farmers and the consumers,” Pimentel said. — with Llanesca T. Panti/AOL/RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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