MALACANAÑG cautioned senators that stripping President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of his authority to adjust rice tariffs would undermine the government’s ability to respond swiftly to food emergencies.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro issued the warning in a Tuesday media briefing in India, following a resolution by Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan in Manila seeking to transfer the tariff-setting power to Congress.
Castro stressed that the authority to alter rice tariffs enables the executive to react quickly to volatile market conditions affecting food security.
“Whenever an emergency occurs, it would be extremely difficult for the president to adjust prices when his power to change tariff rates is removed,” she said.
She also questioned the authority of those who would take charge of negotiating with other countries on rice imports if the president’s authority were revoked.
“Our lawmakers could not be expected to negotiate directly with other countries,” Castro said.
The Palace noted that when Marcos cut rice import tariffs in 2024, it was done “for the welfare and benefit of Filipinos, not for himself.”
Through Executive Order 62, Marcos reduced tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent after world rice prices surged to $700 per metric ton.
“That’s why the tariff was adjusted — not for the president’s personal benefit but for the people who were struggling to buy affordable rice,” Castro said.
Calls to raise tariffs on imported rice have intensified amid falling farmgate prices of palay.
Philippine Statistics Authority data showed paddy rice prices dropped 31 percent to P16.99 per kilo in June from P24.93 a year earlier.
The Department of Agriculture has recommended a gradual tariff adjustment to cushion the market from potential price shocks.
