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Villar leads hearing on DA Budget: Sen. Cynthia Villar presided over the finance subcommittee hearing on the proposed P71.8 billion budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) for 2020. Villar, chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, reiterated the call to prioritize the smooth implementation of the P10 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund and to put in place intervention that will help soften the impact on farmers during the transition to liberalization. DA Sec. William Dar reported the release of the full amount for 2019 and the acceleration of the procurement by the National Food Authority of rice from local farmers.