A PARTY-LIST legislator representing (NTA) to boost its purchasing activity at farmers said Thursday that he is seeking 'P2O per kilogram, citing "the dire impacts investigations into rice industry cartels as ofthe Rice Talimcation Law-" well the outbreak of African Swine Fever House Joint Resolution No. 18 directs (ASF) in some hog farms on Luzon. the NFA to procure at least 75O,OOO metric Magsasaka PartyJist Rep. Argel T, Ca- tons of unrnilled rice or palay from farmers batbat filed House Resolutions No. gg2 at P2O per kilo farm gate price, and sell and 336 which directs the Committee on NFA rice to consumers at P27 per kilo. Agriculture and Food to probe allegations U ntil recently, the NFA'S purchasing price of rice smuggling alld the ASF outbreak. for palay was Pt7 plus incentives, which Mr. Cabatbat said Republic Act No. 1123 include payrnents to cooperatives selling or ttre Rice Tariffication Law has encour- palay to the NFA This was lecently raised to aged hoarding, smuggling and price ma- PI9 while elimbating the incentives. nipulation by rice traders. The NFA serves as a buyer of last resort 'Lagqnap pa rin ang smuggling and for farmers who are typically bargained under-declalation (Srnuggling and under- down by rice traders, though its funds are declarationofimportvaluesisstillmmpant). . insuftcient to buy the entire harvest at the Nalulugi ang gobyemo sa tax qt nqhihirqpan support price. ang mga magsasaka (the gol'€rnment is not Mr. Cabatbat also alleged tlat the ASF collecting the correct taxes and farmers are outbreaJ< may have been caused smuggling. suffering).-. ftrndi rfi naman nakftinabang "Nagkaroon tayo ng porkbarr sa mga ang mga conzumei/rasi ili rin namanbumaba bansang tinamqan nito. So:logically, di . ang presyo ng bigqs.(consumers are not ben- nqdap4t jto makakapasok sa atin.., (We efiting from imports because rice prices have banned pork from ASF-affected countries, not fallen)," Mr. Cabatlat said at a briefing so logically, the disease should not have He called on the Philippine Competi- been able to enter) Kaya pinagdududd- tioh Commission (PCC) to lead the rice han namin ang smtggling na dahilan kung investigation. ' bakit nakapasok ang African Swine Fever 'Ang batas na nagbubuo n9 philip- (that is why we suspect smuggling is be- pine Competition Commission, lrrndi nilc hind the entry ofASF),' Mr. Cabatbat said. kailangan ng may magrereklamo pqra Mr. Cabatbat said tlat he is hophg that maibestigahan nila (The law allows the the House inquiry car start next week add- PCC to investigate even without t}le filing ing that he will support additional tunding of a complaint)," he said. for the DA to.aid in tlle ASF containment Separately, 53 legislators filed a resolu- effort. tion seeking a PI5-billion supplemental The proposed DA budget for 2O2O is budget for the National Food Authority Ps4.43lbillion. VinceAngelo C lbrrcras -