The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) is urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) to abandon its plan to import 300,000 metric tons of rice, citing lack of legal basis and funding. After conducting a bidding for the government-to-government purchase, the PITC decided to withhold the award of winning bids reportedly due to the lack of a budgetary cover from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The DBM said that there was no legal basis for the PITC importation and that funds could not be released without a formal instruction from President Rodrigo Duterte. FFF National Manager Raul Montemayor supports DBM’s position that there was no legal basis for the planned PITC imports. “(Agriculture) Secretary (William) Dar has insisted time and again that we have enough rice. Therefore, there is no rice shortage and there is no reason why PITC should import rice. That is the law and Secretary Dar, who has repeatedly referred to the RTL as ‘a good law,’ should be the first to follow it,” Montemayor said, referring to Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law.
