Photo Release

Villar defends the rice tariffication bill: Sen. Cynthia Villar, chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, discusses with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon the merits of Senate Bill 1998 or the bill which replaces the quantitative restriction on rice with tariffs. Villar, principal sponsor of the bill, said the tariff collected from rice will form the P10 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund which will be spent for programs that will help farmers improve competitiveness and productivity, including programs for farm mechanization and access to certified inbred seeds.