HOUSE Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday said he would push for legislation to institutionalize President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s P20-per-kilo rice program — a key campaign promise that has yet to materialize on a national scale.
In a meeting with Agriculture Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel Jr. and other officials, Romualdez committed to personally sponsoring priority bills from the Department of Agriculture (DA) that aim to stabilize rice prices and support farmers.
Among these proposals are amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law to restore the National Food Authority’s regulatory powers and new legislation targeting the livestock, corn, onion, and seed sectors.
“These are not just bills — they are blueprints for lasting change,” Romualdez said, echoing administration messaging around food security.
Despite the strong rhetoric, the P20/kg rice target remains largely aspirational, limited to a few Kadiwa outlets subsidized by the government. Economists and agriculture groups have long questioned the feasibility of sustaining such a price without massive subsidies or distorting the market.
Romualdez said the legislation would help build a long-term system to ensure affordable rice and uplift struggling farmers. But with inflation and production costs still high, turning the pledge into reality may prove harder than passing new laws.
