Latest news with #NFA
GMA Network
18 hours ago
- Business
- GMA Network
DA expanding P20 per kilo rice program to cover middle class
The coverage of the Marcos administration's P20 per kilo rice initiative—currently accessible to members of vulnerable sectors—will include middle-class families by 2026, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday. The P20 per kilo rice is currently being sold at KADIWA ng Pangulo outlets across the country, but only members of vulnerable sectors—including indigents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and solo parents—are eligible to buy the subsidized National Food Authority (NFA) rice. The rice is sourced from the stocks of the NFA, which are procured directly from local farmers. The government subsidizes the program through the Food Terminal Inc. 'Our plan is… we will sell the P20 [per kilo] rice to 15 million households… or about 60 million Filipinos. These are middle-income families and below,' Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said at the Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) forum in San Juan City. The DA will set a monthly cap of 10 kilos that middle-class households can purchase. 'This can be increased further as we go along,' Tiu Laurel said. Vulnerable sectors have a higher limit of 30 kilos a month. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his fourth SONA, said that the P20 rice program is expanding nationwide, adding that his campaign promise has already been achieved. The Agriculture chief said the DA is setting aside P18 billion next year for the P20 per kilo rice initiative. 'But in the future, the way to make it sustainable is we plan to buy rice from the farmers with the additional funds,' he said. He added that the DA is eyeing selling 80% of rice procured from local farmers in the retail market. The DA chief said the agency is pushing for the amendment of the Rice Tariffication Law to bring back the powers and market intervention functions of the NFA ''so we can buy rice as we sell rice; unlike now, it's just for buffer stocking.' —VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
NFA rice stocks good for 12 days —Palace
Malacañang on Wednesday said the rice buffer stocks at warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA) are adequate for the government's response and relief efforts amid the adverse weather conditions. "Sabi ng NFA administration, super secure in terms of buffer stock ang NFA at meron po tayong enough stocks to last for 12 days. Buong Pilipinas po ay makakakain," Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing. (The NFA administration assured that we are secured in terms of buffer stock and the NFA has enough stocks to last for 12 days. The entire Philippines could be fed.) Castro said the NFA's rice stocks are available for release to requesting local government units (LGUs) and relief agencies. "Nationwide, wala pong nadanyos na stocks at ang NFA ay ready anytime to release stocks to requesting LGUs (local government units) and relief agencies," she said. (Rice stocks nationwide did not sustain any damage; the NFA is ready anytime to release stocks to requesting LGUs and relief agencies.) The Palace official made the clarification since Occidental Mindoro and Valenzuela City, sites of NFA warehouses, were affected by flooding due to heavy rains brought about by the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat, intensified by severe tropical storm Crising. Habagat is currently being monitored as it is being enhanced again by Tropical Storm "Dante" and tropical depression "Emong." —LDF, GMA Integrated News
New Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Teoh Beng Hock case may reopen if new evidence emerges, says Azalina
KUALA LUMPUR: The investigation into the death of Teoh Beng Hock may be revisited if new developments emerge in the future, despite the case being classified as No Further Action (NFA). Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said this is because criminal cases are not bound by any statute of limitations. "Unlike civil cases, criminal cases are not subject to any statute of limitations. "As such, if new developments arise in the future, further investigation and a review of the case may still be carried out," she said in a written parliamentary reply. Azalina (BN-Pengerang) said this in response to Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan), who had enquired about the reasons for the Attorney-General's Chambers' (A-GC) decision to classify the case as NFA. Meanwhile, she also said that while the police had established a special investigation team to reopen the probe into Teoh's death following the Court of Appeal's 2014 decision to set aside the coroner's open verdict, there was insufficient evidence to support any criminal charge against any individual. "As such, NFA directive has been issued by the A-GC in relation to this investigation paper, and this matter was also explained in the A-GC's media statement dated May," she said. In May, the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement revealed that Teoh's death has classified as NFA. Following the revelation, the AG-C said that there was insufficien t evidence to prove any offence against any individual under the law. Teoh was found dead on July 16, 2009, at the Plaza Masalam building after giving a statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office on the 14th floor of the same building. He was the political secretary to then Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, who was the Selangor executive councillor for local government, legalisation of illegal factories, and new village development. On Jan 5, 2011, the Shah Alam Coroner's Court ruled that Teoh's death in 2009 was not due to suicide or murder, and found that there was no third party in his death case. On July 21, 2011, the Royal Commission of Inquiry formed to investigate Teoh's death ruled that his death was due to suicide. On Sept 5, 2014, the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling on Teoh's death, ruling that his death was the result of unlawful acts by one or more unknown persons.
Free Malaysia Today
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Teoh Beng Hock case open to review if there are new leads, says Azalina
Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the Attorney-General's Chambers' NFA decision in May was based on its review of police investigations, which did not find any strong evidence to charge anyone. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The government may reopen investigations into Teoh Beng Hock's death if there are new developments, despite the case having been classified by police as requiring 'no further action' (NFA). Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said that criminal cases were not bound by time limits and could be reviewed. 'Criminal cases are not like civil cases and are not bound by statute of limitations. So, if there are new developments in the future, further investigations and revision of the case can be carried out,' she said in a written parliamentary reply. Azalina was replying to a question by Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan), who asked why the Attorney-General's Chambers decided to classify the case as NFA, despite a past court ruling that Teoh's death was caused by unlawful acts. Azalina said the AGC's decision made in May was based on its review of police findings, which did not find any strong evidence to charge anyone. The Court of Appeal had in 2014 set aside the coroner's 'open verdict' and found that Teoh's death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office in Shah Alam was due to 'unlawful acts by person or persons unknown'. Azalina said police had formed a special team to reinvestigate the case after that ruling. But the AGC later found the evidence still insufficient and ordered the probe to be closed. 'There were not enough statements made (evidence) to convict anyone,' she said. Teoh, a political aide, was found dead in July 2009 after being held overnight at MACC Selangor's office. His death sparked widespread condemnation leading to multiple inquiries and legal actions.
The Star
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Philippine lawmaker seeks prioritisation of rice tariff law amendments
FILE PHOTO: A farmer walks along a paddy field on a rice terrace in Banaue, Ifugao province, the Philippines, on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Rice prices have remained volatile, while the influx of cheap imported rice has displaced locally produced varieties. - Bloomberg MANILA: Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos has urged colleagues in the House of Representatives to prioritise deliberations on proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), to ensure sustained availability of affordable rice in public markets. In a statement on Monday (July 21), Santos said the benefits promised under the RTL—such as lower rice prices and improved support for local farmers—have not materialised, highlighting the need for revisions to the law. Santos noted that rice prices have remained volatile, while the influx of cheap imported rice has displaced locally produced varieties. 'We have not felt the promised benefits of the Rice Tariffication Law. Rice prices failed to decrease significantly, and our farmers' lives became harder,' he said. According to Santos, amending the law would enable the government to prioritise local production, restore the National Food Authority's (NFA) authority to purchase unhusked rice from local farmers, and maintain a buffer stock that could be utilised beyond emergencies. During the 19th Congress, the House approved on third reading a proposal to amend the RTL, which seeks to restore some of the NFA's functions. House Bill No. 10381 was approved in May 2024, with 231 lawmakers voting in favour, three against, and one abstaining. House leaders, including 19th Congress Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, believe the amendments could lower rice prices by P10 (US$0.18) to 15 per kilogram. However, the bill faced opposition in the Senate due to concerns that restoring some of the NFA's mandates might lead to renewed corruption. Quezon 1st District Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, former chair of the House committee on agriculture and food, assured that this would not happen since the NFA would play a limited role in importation. Enverga also said they intended to brief senators on the proposal, noting he understands the concerns raised by Villar and other senators. Villar, along with several senators in the 19th Congress, warned against amending RA 11203, noting that the law barred the NFA from importing and selling rice precisely due to rampant corruption within the agency. For the 20th Congress, Romualdez has proposed to 'strengthen the regulatory powers' of the NFA through House Bill (HB) No. 1, also known as the proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act. According to a copy of the bill, the NFA's regulatory authority would be reinforced by amending Republic Act No. 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, which was later amended by the RTL. Romualdez said House Bill No. 1 and House Bill No. 14, the proposed Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation Act, will support the administration's food security programme and aid the Benteng Bigas Meron Na initiative, which is anchored on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s campaign promise to bring down rice prices to 20 per kilogram. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
