Senate proposal to end presidential power on tariff
Metro Manila, Philippines - A Senate joint resolution has been filed to withdraw the presidential authority to adjust tariff on rice to protect farmers when Congress is not in session.
Senators Risa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan on Monday, Aug. 4, filed the resolution, which would also reinstate the original 35 percent tariff on imported rice. Executive Order (EO) 62 issued in June 2025 slashed rice tariff by more than half from 35 percent to 15 percent to address soaring retail prices.
Hontiveros and Pangilinan, who is the committee on agriculture chairperson, said EO 62 “has unleashed a flood of foreign grain into the Philippine market, which continues to devastate Filipino farmers and destroy their livelihoods.”
The country imported 4.8 million metric tons of rice in 2024. The United States Department of Agriculture forecasted the Philippines to import 5.4 million metric tons in the 2025-2026 season.
“The critical timing of EO 62’s implementation relative to global market trends has further exacerbated the situation, as the benchmark international price for Thai 5% broken rice drastically dropped from approximately USD 632.00 per metric ton in June 2024 (when EO 62 was signed) to around USD 419.00 per metric ton in early July 2025, representing a staggering over 33% decline in import costs on the global market and mirroring the 31 percent (June 2025) year-on-year decline in palay farm-gate prices,” the senators said.
EO 62, which took effect in July last year, was in line with Section 1608 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The provision empowered the president, upon the recommendation of the then National Economic and Development Authority, to “increase, reduce, or remove existing rates of import duty including any necessary change in classification.”
In that same section, the law stated that the power delegated to the president “shall be exercised only when Congress is not in session” and “may be withdrawn or terminated by Congress through a joint resolution.”
“The plight of Filipino farmers is urgent and demands decisive legislative action to ensure they receive a fair return for their produce and to secure the nation’s food future by prioritizing domestic production over unchecked imports,” Hontiveros and Pangilinan said.
The joint resolution calls for the appropriate committees of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to hold caucuses to review the rice industry situation.
Both chambers should also propose legislation to “set appropriate and responsive tariff and quantitative levels for rice importation that effectively protect domestic producers, ensure national food security, and promote the long-term viability of the local rice sector.”
Earlier in the day, Malacañang announced that the Department of Agriculture will recommend to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a higher rice tariff from the current 15 percent, as well as a “temporary halt” in importation.
The agency is expected to recommend a gradual increase, from 15 percent to 25 percent, 10 points short of the original rate.
The Cabinet will be discussing the “urgent matter” with Marcos, who is on a state visit to India.
