Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

5685

HOUSE BILL NO.

Tntraduced by Rep. Wibfride Mark M. Ewverga

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The bill seeks to provide local palay farmers a short-term intervention
measures to ease the plight of local palay farmers by supporting them and help them
increase their productivity and competitiveness and take our national and local

agriculture officials to task in implementing our food security programs.

Local farmers are suffering from the declining palay farm gate prices. While the
entry of a record volume of rice imports is a major cause of the decline in the buying
price of palay, the high cost of palay production is very much a contributor to this
income loss too. This high cost of production is due to a lot of factors such as overdue

farm modernization, high cost of inputs, lack of post-harvest facilities especially drying
facilities. lack of access to affordable credit and lack of farmers’ training especially in

coping with climate change.

Republic Act 11203 or The Rice Tariffication Law is designed to utilize
revenues derived from tariffs on rice imports to fund programs that will modernize rice
farming and address other factors that make palay farming costly. However, these
programs have gestation periods that go beyond a single cropping season. Meantime,
we face the possibility of farmers moving out of rice farming,

This proposed measure puts together an emergency fund of P8.4 billion in the
form of conditional cash transfers, distributing P7,000 each to affected palay farmers.
Farmers must belong to a cooperative which will hopefully step up and take advantage
of the scale economies for farm equipment and other production subsidies that will be


distributed from the RCEF, product aggregation for marketing, and contest the market
against existing rice cartels, Priority must be given in areas where palay prices have
gone down way below P17/kilo, rice cultivated land size of two hectares and below and
in major rice producing provinces. dThe enlisting of rice farmers can also be used as an
opportunity to quickly update the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture
(RSBSA) for a more effective targeting of the Department of Agriculture's programs and

interventions.

In light of the foregoing, passage of this bill is urgently sought.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. S83

Introduced by Rep. Wikfride Mark M. Enverga

AN ACT APPROPRIATING THE SUM OF EIGHT BILLION FOUR HUNDRED MILLION
PESOS (P 8,400,000,000.00) AS SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR FY 2019
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Appropriations. - The sum of Eight Billion Four Hundred Million
Pesos (P8,400,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National
Treasury of the Philippines not otherwise appropriated, as supplemental
appropriations for the FY 2019 Budget;

SECTION 2, Use of Funds. - The amount herein appropriated shall be used for
the purposes indicated and subject to the applicable relevant special and general
provisions of Republic Act No. 11260, or the FY 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA),
Provided, That the amount herein appropriated is for and as conditional cash transfers
to rice farmers for losses they suffered due to the fall in palay farm gate prices: Provided
further, the fund distribution shall be guided by the following inclusive parameters and
conditions: That each rice farmer shall receive Seven Thousand Pesos (P7,000.00) as
compensation; that only to those areas where palay prices have plunged below P17/kilo
at the farmgate; areas where palay farmers cultivate lands up to two hectares; and only
to major rice producing provinces: Provided finally, that the farmers commit to organize
themselves into cooperatives that will continue to engage in building rice farming
enterprises, The Department of Agriculture shall monitor compliance to this
conditionality;

SECTION 3. Release of Funds. - The amount herein appropriated shall be
released by the Department of Budget and Management to the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) in accordance with budgeting, accounting and
auditing laws, rules and regulations. The DSWD, in coordination of the Department of
Agriculture, shall issue guidelines necessary for the proper implementation of the cash
transfer program for the benefit of small rice farmers;


SECTION 4. Availability of Appropriations. - The appropriations authorized in
this Act shall be available for release and obligation for the purpose specified from the
date of the effectivity of this Act until fully spent;

SECTION 5. Transparency Provisions. - The DSWD shall ensure that the details
of the fund distribution are included as part of the information posted on their
transparency seals;

SECTION 6. Submission of Reports.- The DSWD shall submit, either in printed
form or by way of electronic document, to the House Committee on Appropriations, the
Senate Committee on Finance and the Commission on Audit, accountability reports on
the utilization of funds. The DSWD web administrator or his/her equivalent shall be
responsible for ensuring that the said reports are likewise posted on the official website
of the agency;

SECTION 7. Separability Clause. - If for any reason or reasons, any part or
provision of this Act shall be declared as unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts of
provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and
effect;

SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - All provisions of existing laws, orders, rules and
regulations or parts thereof which are in conflict or inconsistent with the provisions of
this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 9. Effectivity.- This Act shall take effect immediately upon its

publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general
circulation in the Philippines.

Approved.