Bangsamoro Parliament seeks tax-free rice importation in Tawi-Tawi
KORONADAL CITY—The Bangsamoro parliament has approved on Monday a resolution asking President Marcos to allow zero-tariff importation of rice from Malaysia, exclusively for Tawi-Tawi constituents, to help reduce rice prices and address urgent food needs in the islands.
The resolution, introduced by members of parliament John Anthony “Jet” Lim, Jose Lorena and Nabil Tan, was a special, time-bound and humanitarian measure subject to strict national and regional government oversight.
They said Tawi-Tawi’s proximity to Sabah, Malaysia, could mean lower rice prices since transport and logistics costs from Zamboanga City and other distant ports had pushed prices of the staple higher because of the distance.
The legislators said that rice supplies from Sabah could be a cheaper and more practical source, if authorized.
Copies of the resolution will be sent to the office of the President, concerned national agencies and the provincial government of Tawi-Tawi for appropriate action.
Stores in 11 island municipalities of Tawi-Tawi sell rice and other merchandise from Malaysian businessmen.
Lim, also speaker of the 80-man Bangsamoro Transition Authority, is from Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, while Tan is from Jolo town, and Lorena from Siasi.
‘Serious burden’
“The resulting high cost of rice has placed a serious burden on households in Tawi-Tawi, particularly affecting low-income families and vulnerable sectors, thereby aggravating food insecurity and economic hardship,” the resolution said.
The resolution stressed that Sabah, Malaysia, had been geographically nearer to Tawi-Tawi than the country’s mainland supply points, making it a more practical and cost-efficient source of rice, if lawfully and properly authorized by the national government.
“Allowing the lawful, regulated and zero-tariff direct importation of rice from Sabah, strictly for the province of Tawi-Tawi and subject to national government’s oversight, would reduce logistics cost, stabilize rice supply, and significantly lower prices without the need for costly transshipment through distant (Philippine) ports,” according to the resolution.
The measure is intended to address food security concerns in a geographically disadvantaged area and does not recognize, condone or legitimize any informal or unauthorized trade, it added.
Lorena, a deputy speaker of the Bangsamoro parliament, said that a sack of rice now fetches a price of at least P2,000 in Tawi-Tawi.
“We feel that the time has come for this parliament to bring to the attention of the President the need to address this specific concern in Tawi-Tawi,” he said.
Last November, Mr. Marcos signed Executive Order No. 105 imposing at least a 15-percent tariff on rice imports.
The rate shall be increased by 5 percentage points per 5 percent decrease in international rice prices; or decreased by 5 percentage points per 5 percent increase in international rice prices. The tariff shall not be over 35 percent.
