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Hontiveros Calls on Congress to Reclaim Tariff Power as Rice Farmers Face Crisis
By Office of Senator Risa Hontiveros
Senator Risa Hontiveros today urged Congress to act swiftly and decisively to protect Filipino farmers by revoking the Executive’s power to drastically lower rice import tariffs—an authority that led to the issuance of Executive Order No. 62, which slashed tariffs on imported rice from 35% to 15%.
Hontiveros, together with Senator Francis Pangilinan, is pushing for the passage of Joint Resolution No. 2 to withdraw such delegated authority, citing mounting losses among local rice producers.
“EO 62 may have been issued under delegated authority, but its effects have been devastating to our farmers,” Hontiveros said.
“Bumaha ng imported na bigas at dahil sa mababang presyo nito, labis na naapektuhan ang kanilang kabuhayan. Congress must withdraw that power or there may be no harvest by October. Farmers will refuse to plant, knowing they’ll only incur losses,” she added.
According to Hontiveros, the Philippines imported a record 4.8 million metric tons of rice in 2024, making it the world’s largest rice importer. “This massive influx, made cheaper by lower tariffs, undercuts our local farmers, many of whom now sell their palay for less than the cost of production.”
She emphasized the timing of EO 62’s release in June 2024, just before global rice prices began to plummet. “Thai 5% broken rice was priced at USD 632 per metric ton when the EO was signed. Today, it’s down to just USD 419. That’s a 33% drop on top of the tariff cuts. It’s a perfect storm for our farmers.”
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Hontiveros said farmers were selling palay at just ₱16.90/kg in June 2025, down from over ₱24.90/kg the previous year which is far above the ₱13.38/kg average production cost in 2023, not including expenses for drying, transport, and storage.
“Sa Mindoro at iba pang probinsya, halos wala nang kinikita ang ating mga magsasaka. They are planting at a loss,” she warned. “If this continues, many will simply stop planting. Why invest when they know they can’t recover their costs?”
Hontiveros also expressed concern over the government’s lack of clear plans to review or reverse the tariff cuts. “During budget deliberations, I repeatedly asked the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for concrete mechanisms to evaluate EO 62 and possibly raise tariffs again to protect our domestic producers. So far, we’ve heard nothing firm. Our farmers remain in limbo.”
She then emphasized that tariff-setting is a constitutional power of Congress under Article VI, Section 28(2). While the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) allows the President to adjust tariffs, Section 1608(f) of the law explicitly gives Congress the right to withdraw that authority via joint resolution.
“Passing this Joint Resolution is a critical step to correct a policy that has proven detrimental to our food producers. I call on my colleagues in the Senate and House to convene caucuses and prioritize this issue. Hindi na natin ito pwedeng ipagpaliban pa,” she concluded.
