MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers are seeking to replace the National Food Authority (NFA) with a new entity which will be named the National Strategic Food Supply and Reserve Corporation (NSFsrc).
Akbayan RepresentativesWalden Bello and Ibarra Gutierrez III authored House Bill 5118 or the "Food for Filipinos First Act of 2014" which aims to modify the country's export and import policies.
The bill seeks to reorganize the NFA and calls for non-conversion of declared Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zone and the creation of Local Protected Fishing Zones in coastal communities and cities. It also provides for a system of determining the National Food Requirements of Filipinos; an agricultural infrastructure inventory and benefits for small farmers, agricultural producers in SAFDZs, fisherfolks in LPEZs, and access to credits.
The proposed measure was based on the principle of food security, which the Akbayan representatives defined as the "right of peoples, communities and countries to define their own agricultural, labor, fishing, food and land policies which are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally appropriate to their unique circumstances."
Under the bill, the propriety function of the NFA will be given to the NSFsrc while the regulatory functions will be designated to the Department of Agriculture (DA). NFA's regulatory, developmental and research functions will be transferred to the DA.
The NSFsrc will have a total authorized capitalization of P15 billion, wherein P12 billion will be in form of assets from the NFA while P3 billion in form of cash, according to the bill.
It will be the duty of the NFA to retain or dispose all assets and liabilities not transferred to the NSFsrc.
Some of the functions of the NSFsrc would be to take over the tariff-free importation of rice; own, lease, acquire by purchase or otherwise, hold, sell, or dispose of stocks and establish an internal organization.
The Food for Filipinos Act of 2014 is now pending at the House Committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization and Committee on Food Security.
For more proposed measures in the House of Representatives, visit our Bill Tracker.