Palace Blames Sen. Cynthia Villar for Blocking Restoration of NFA’s Rice Powers

Malacañang Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro on Monday pointed fingers at Senator Cynthia Villar for preventing the restoration of key powers to the National Food Authority (NFA), particularly the ability to buy palay and regulate rice prices.

In a press briefing, Castro said the Marcos administration has long proposed to restore the NFA’s authority to purchase rice from local farmers and sell directly to consumers—a move she claims would have helped control rising rice prices. However, she claimed that this provision was blocked by Villar, the main author of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

“Without this power, only private companies are allowed to import rice under the RTL, leaving the government unable to intervene in the market,” Castro said.

She reiterated that the administration is pushing for amendments to the RTL to empower the NFA, which is currently limited to managing rice buffer stocks and is no longer allowed to import or sell rice.

Castro’s comments came on the same day Vice President Sara Duterte publicly endorsed Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar—Senator Villar’s daughter—as part of her 2025 Senate slate, raising political eyebrows.

Castro also hinted at deeper vested interests behind rice importation, urging the public to “do their own research” on who benefits most from the current setup.

The RTL, implemented to liberalize rice imports, has faced growing criticism amid soaring rice prices and calls for the return of affordable NFA rice.