The House of Representatives vowed swift action on the proposed revamp of the National Food Authority (NFA) once it is formally transmitted to Congress.

The measure directly “responds to the urgent need to bring down rice prices, help farmers, and stabilize the country’s food supply system,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said Monday.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) submitted the proposal to Malacañang last week, seeking to restore the NFA’s authority to intervene in the rice market, including the power to buy palay (unhusked rice) at competitive prices and maintain adequate buffer stocks to prevent drastic price increases.

The measure also envisions a reorganized agency with a clearer mandate to support Filipino farmers and protect consumers.

“This proposal speaks to the unity of purpose among members of the House majority coalition: To prioritize the needs of ordinary Filipinos, especially the farmers who feed our nation and the consumers who struggle with rising food prices,” Romualdez said in a statement.

Under the proposal, the NFA will be empowered to purchase palay at fair farmgate prices and maintain a more robust buffer stocking system, allowing it to step in when prices spike due to calamities, hoarding or market manipulation.

It also includes provisions for price supports, post-harvest facilities and better coordination between the NFA and local governments, which will help ensure stable food supplies at the community level.

Romualdez said the proposal is in line with the Marcos administration’s Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) governance framework, which aims to deliver whole-of-government responses to inflation, poverty, and supply chain vulnerabilities.

“This is not just an NFA reform bill. It’s a social justice bill. It puts the full weight of the state behind our farmers and ensures our people will not be left helpless when prices go up due to war, calamity or market abuse,” he said. (PNA)