MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of the Rice Tariffication Bill would be “forthcoming” despite strong calls from farmer groups for the chief executive to use his veto power on the measure.
Congress last year passed the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996.
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Under the measure, individuals and businesses can import additional volumes of the crop from Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam but will have to pay a 35-percent tariff. The collected tariffs will be used to fund mass irrigation, warehousing and rice research.
While the measure is expected to give households reeling from soaring prices a reprieve, farmer groups said replacing rice import limits with a system of tariffs would drive down prices for their produce and hurt their business.
At a televised press conference, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte will likely sign the bill despite resistance from industry stakeholders.
“Well, the long and short of it is that those he met last night were against. But according to the president, the policy would be to the greater good,” Panelo said.
“Yun ang ibibigay niya. So kahit na kumontra sila, mukhang itutuloy niya (So that’s what the president will give. Even if they are against the bill, the president will likely sign it),” he added.
The rice tariffication bill was submitted to Malacañang last January 15 for Duterte’s signature. Under the Constitution, bills sent to Malacañang will lapse into law if the president does not approve or veto them 30 days after transmittal. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral