Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 22) — The government will continue to allow imported rice into the country, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Friday.
In a media briefing, Panelo said that there is no need to stop rice imports, citing Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
“According to the Secretary of Agriculture, there is no need. They will just be strict on the requirements for the importation. For now, there is no need for that,” Panelo said.
President Rodrigo Duterte previously issued a verbal order that he would suspend rice imports during harvest season, an order that Dar refused to implement.
“The Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Plant and Industry, will strictly implement the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC). For instance, the agency will conduct pre-inspection at the point of origin of imported rice stock to ensure rice quality and safety for consumers and at the same time protect the spread of crop pests and diseases,” Dar said in a briefing Thursday.
Dar had met with Duterte, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez on Wednesday to discuss the policy. While it was meant to help farmers who are suffering from historic low prices of unmilled rice, a farmers’s group pointed out that the order has no legal basis.
READ: Farmers’ group questions legal basis of Duterte order to suspend rice imports
Instead, the government will continue its move to buy rice from local farmers.
“What the President is going to do now is to help the farmers by subsidizing and buying rice from them,” Panelo said on Friday.
The spokesperson added that the government should prioritize this measures regardless of possible financial losses.
