Pinawi ni Albay Representative Joey Salceda ang alinlangan ng ilan na makakaapekto sa Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) ang planong pagpapababa sa ipinapataw na taripa sa imported na bigas.
Ayon kay Salceda, nakolekta na ang kinakailangang ₱10-billion na halaga ng taripa na siyang pinampopondo sa RCEF.
“It will also not compromise the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program since the ₱10-billion in tariff revenues required to fund them has already been met by this year’s tariff collections,” ani Salceda.
Para sa Ways and Means Committee Chair dahil sa malapit nang mag-adjourn ang Kongreso, ay maiging ipaubaya na lamang sa Pangulo ang pagbabago sa tariff rates.
Sakali aniya na ibaba sa 10% ang taripa mula sa kasalukuyang 35% ay maaari itong magresulta ng ₱6 na bawas sa presyo ng kada kilo ng bigas.
“With three weeks left before Congress adjourns, this decision is best left to the President and his power to adjust tariff rates when Congress is not in session. Obviously, it will be a temporary modification… We estimate that the price of imported rice could go down by as much as ₱6 per kilo as a result of a tariff reduction from 35% to 10%,” paliwanag ng mambabatas.
Mungkahi naman ng Albay solon na sabayan ang rice tariff reduction ng mas pinalakas na pagbili ng National Food Authority ng palay upang hindi naman sumadsad ang farmgate price ng lokal na bigas.
“I also strongly suggest that the rice tariff reduction should be accompanied by more aggressive palay buying operations by the NFA, to ensure that the surge in imports does not unduly depress farmgate prices. The Rice Tariffication Law allows the NFA to source palay locally,” diin ni Salceda. | ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
