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

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bil No, __ 3.445

Introduced by HON. LINABELLE RUTH R. VILLARICA
4TH DISTRICT, BULACAN

EXPLANATORY NOTE

“Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have
found that eating five or more servings of white rice per week was associated with
an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In contrast, eating two or more servings of
brown rice per week was associated with a lower risk of the disease, The
researchers estimated that replacing 50 grams of white rice (just one third of a
typical daily serving) with the same amount of brown rice would lower risk of
type 2 diabetes by 16%.”"

In 2012? Filipinos aged 20 to 79 accounted for 4,321,460 diabetes cases; 2,539,290 people
with undiagnosed diabetes; and 60,477 diabetes-related deaths; while the mean diabetes-related
expenditure for the year was US$109.18 per person with diabetes.

This bill seeks to make consumers aware of the benefits of and develop a taste for brown
rice by mandating, for a promotional period of one (1) calendar month, that it be made available as
an alternative to white rice wherever rice is sold for consumption. Recognizing that food (from
restaurants to caterers to street vendors) and retail (from dealers to markets to comer stores)
establishments are in the best position to come up with creative, innovative, and compelling ways
to market brown rice that will effectively influence rice consumption habits, this bill seeks to
provide an incentive to participating establishments by exempting them from paying the various
local business taxes, fees, and/or charges for the following year.

Support for the enactment of this measure is earnestly sought.

REP. LINABELLE RUTH R. VILLARICA

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| “White Rice, Brown Rice, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Men and Women,” Qi Sun, Donna Spiegelman, Rob
M. van Dam, Michelle D. Holmes, Vasanti S. Malik, Walter C. Willett, Frank B, Hu, Archives of Internal Medicine,
online June 14, 2010,
2 International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 6th edn. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes
Federation, 2013.

i


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

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No, 8445

Introduced by HON. LINABELLE RUTH R. VILLARICA
4TH DISTRICT, BULACAN

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE PROMOTION OF THE CONSUMPTION OF BROWN RICE
THROUGH FOOD AND RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO
WHITE RICE

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

SECTION 1. Title. - This act shall be known and cited as the “Brown Rice Act of 2013”.

SECTION 2. Promotion Period. — All persons, whether natural or juridical, who provide
rice in the regular course of business shall make brown rice available as an alternative to white rice
to all customers for the seventh (7th) calendar month from the effectivity of this act.

SECTION 3. Incentive. ~ All participating establishments shall be exempt from all local
government taxes, fees, and/or charges mentioned in Sections 141(a), 141(b), 143(a), 143(b),
143(c), 143(d), 143(g), 143(h), 147, 152(a), 152(c), and 155 of Republic Act No. 7160, the Local
Government Code of 1991, for the year following the eighth (8th) calendar month from the
effectivity of this act,

SECTION 4, Certification, ~ Participating establishments shall register with the Bureau of
Local Government Finance before the start of the promotion period, submitting proof of purchase
of brown rice, Within thirty (30) days after the completion of the promotion period, participating
establishments shall submit proof of sale of brown rice to the Bureau of Local Government
Finance. The Bureau of Local Government Finance shall certify compliance with this section
which shall be presented when claiming the exemption.

SECTION 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ The Bureau of Local Government
Finance shall issue, within thirty (30) days from the effectivity of this act, implementing rules and
regulations in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health, the
Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Trade and Industry.

SECTION 6. Separability Clause. - Any portion or provision of this Act that may be
declared unconstitutional or invalid shall not have the effect of nullifying the other portions and
provisions hereof as long as such remaining portion or provision can still subsist and be given
effect in their entirety.


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SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. — All laws and administrative issuances or parts thereof
inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 8. Effectivity Clause. ~ This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in any national paper of general circulation,

Approved,