Senator Rodante Marcoleta is calling on Congress to assert its oversight powers to address the worsening conditions of Filipino farmers and improve the agriculture sector.
During his interpellation of Senator Raffy Tulfo’s privilege speech on Aug. 4, Marcoleta lamented that many progressive agricultural laws remain unimplemented, leaving farmers at a disadvantage, especially with the influx of cheap imported rice under the Rice Tariffication Law (RA 11203).
“Halimbawa, mayroon po tayong batas…na doon ay nagkaroon ng mandato na bigyan natin ng ‘guaranteed price’ ang palay. Ngunit hindi natutupad. Hindi nangyari. Let us revisit that,” he said.
Marcoleta shared that farmer groups from Tarlac and Pampanga recently sought his help as palay prices had dropped to P7–8 per kilo for fresh harvests and P11–12 per kilo for dried grains.
He also cited laws intended to strengthen agriculture—such as those requiring farm equipment to be manufactured locally, or protecting agricultural land from conversion under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (RA 8435)—that are being ignored.
“Ngayon ang reclassification, conversion ng mga lupa, kaliwa’t kanan na po ang nangyayari. Isang araw po gigising tayo, baka wala na po tayong mapagtamnan. Kahit kangkong na lang,” according to him.
Marcoleta also pointed to the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act of 2009 (RA 10000), which mandates banks to allocate 25% of loanable funds to agriculture. He claimed this law is being bypassed through technicalities, resulting in misuse of funds and even ghost warehouses.
To address these issues, the newbie senator proposed creating a permanent commission on agriculture, similar to the Education Commission 2 (EDCOM 2). This body could monitor rice self-sufficiency programs, strengthen the role of the National Food Authority (NFA), regulate rice imports, and crack down on hoarding and smuggling.IMT
