HOUSE Murang Pagkain Supercommittee Co-Chair Joey Sarte Salceda (Albay, 2nd District), who leads the QuintaComm hearings, issued a firm statement urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) to take decisive action in addressing the ongoing crisis of soaring rice prices:
“The DA’s persistent claim of powerlessness in curbing abuses in the rice market is no longer acceptable. This stance only emboldens price manipulators to exploit Filipino families without consequence.
Rice prices are caught in a downward spiral, and by publicly declaring their inability to act, the DA has inadvertently signaled free rein to bad actors.
Upon reviewing existing legislation, we discovered several statutes still in effect, including Republic Act No. 509, which grants the DA extensive powers once the President declares a ‘rice emergency.’ A precedent for this exists—President Quirino invoked such powers in 1948 to combat widespread hoarding. I strongly urge the DA to thoroughly examine the wealth of legal tools available and mobilize these to put an end to the unchecked exploitation in the rice market.
The state must leverage its full authority, from conducting post-clearance inspections of import warehouses to random market checks, to restore order and signal that regulatory oversight is active and effective. It is time to end the prevailing perception that there is no sheriff in town.”
Salceda’s statement underscores the urgency for the DA to act decisively and reclaim control of the rice market, ensuring affordable prices for Filipino families.